Pokémon Ranger
by shinyumbreon2
Summary: The region of Fiore is being terrorized by the Go-Rock Squad. But not if rookie Pokémon Ranger Solana and her fellow coworkers have anything to say about it!
1. Prologue

Solana loved Pokémon Rangers. Some in Veilstone City called it an addiction. The young girl would collect countless articles from every newspaper, magazine, and website she could find. She studied up on Leaders, famous Rangers, their tools, and the cities where the bases were located. The whole city knew that the girl wasn't going to be a Trainer, which kind of disappointed the young Gym Leader (and Solana's best friend) Maylene, who wanted to battle Solana one day. And as the girl's 14th birthday drew near, everyone could feel the excitement surrounding the girl's house. She was so excited she ended up writing 7 different letters to the Ringtown Leader, Spenser.

Her mom, Jeane, would sometimes act as if she was annoyed. Though, she really was in some cases. "Solana," she would complain, "could you give the poor Leader a break? I bet he can't stand your pestering." In truth, however, she was covering up for her sadness and her own excitement. Her daughter was preparing for her biggest adventure, after all. And it would do her some good. Solana was sometimes unconfident and unsure of herself. Being a Ranger, her mother realized, would help boost her confidence.

Finally, Solana's 14th birthday had arrived. And it just so happened on that day a package from Ringtown arrived. The girl tore open the box, wearing the biggest grin on her face. Inside the package was a Ringtown Ranger uniform, along with a letter from Spenser, commenting on her energetic and helpful personality as well as her love for Pokémon and how he would love to have her on the team. So she raced to her room and threw on the uniform. It was a red jacket that had yellow cuffs, and a white and black leotard style shirt/shorts. Solana also found some black gloves with a red strap going through the middle. It also had black leggings with yellow cuffs at the top, and red, black, and white high tops. The last piece to Solana's new uniform was a red headband, holding back the bangs of her blue hair that was already up in a ponytail. It was redundant, but Solana loved it any way. In fact, she loved her whole uniform.

She ran back downstairs. "What do you think, Mom?" she asked, but before Jeane could answer the young Ranger began to dance in happiness.

Jeane shook her head. "Good riddance," the woman stated. "You're not my problem anymore." But she realized she couldn't hold her annoyed act any longer. She suddenly hugged her daughter and began to cry. "Promise you'll call or send a letter every once in a while, okay?"

Solana smiled, and then embraced her mom, crying as well. "Of course," she replied.

Jeane escorted her daughter to the Veilstone City harbor and waved as her daughter boarded the boat. Some of the citizens, including Maylene, watched as the boat departed for the region Fiore. "Good luck, Pokémon Ranger Solana!" her mom and a few others called out.

The girl ran to the stern of the ship and waved back at everyone. "Thanks, everyone. And don't worry; I'll be the best Ranger ever! I promise!" She then turned and looked out at the horizon. "I know I can," she told herself. And from the dock, the city watched as the boat disappeared into the horizon.


	2. Chapter 1: The New Rookie in the Ring

The boat docked at the Fall City harbor, and as Solana disembarked she took in the scent of the ocean air. It was a nice, salty breeze, and reminded Solana of home. Suddenly a young boy ran down the ramp and began jumping up and down. "Dad! Dad! Look! It's Fall City! Fall City!"

His father laughed. "Don't worry son, Fall City isn't going anywhere." He picked up the pace to catch up with his excited boy.

Solana smiled, but realized she didn't know where to go. "Are you lost?" someone behind her asked. Solana turned around to find a teenage girl with blonde hair, teal eyes, brown boots, and a pink dress. "I wouldn't guess a Ranger of all people would get lost."

"This is my first time in this city," Solana informed the girl. "And I'm a new Ranger."

"Well, if that's true, then that makes things much more understandable." Solana frowned and narrowed her eyes. The girl pointed to the building near the exit of the harbor. "You should go to the Tourist Center. You'll need it."

Solana clenched her teeth. "Thanks," she grumbled and walked off. _Might as well call me stupid while you're at it_, the new Ranger thought to herself. She entered the center and walked to the counter. The woman behind it looked at Solana and stood up.

"Welcome to Fall City," the woman said. "We take pride in our monuments, such as the Joy Clock Tower and a fountain that has yet to be named. We also have a Capture Arena that is currently undergoing repairs and renovations, but when it is up and running it is a good place for Rangers to test their skills. Speaking of Rangers…" Suddenly the woman dropped her serious act and leaned over the counter. "Are you a Ranger?"

"Well, technically yes," Solana explained. "But I haven't received my official certification yet, and even if I had I'm new."

The women nodded. "There haven't been any new Rangers for any base in quite a while. So what's you're name?"

"Solana."

"And where are you from?"

"Veilstone City in the Sinnoh region."

"Oooo," the women cooed. "I've always wanted to go to Veilstone. But it's too expensive for my traveling tastes. Good for you! Anyway, which Leader are you looking for?"

"Spenser," Solana replied.

"I see," she said. "Spenser hasn't been here in Fall City lately, but I'm sure he'll show up soon. Why don't you check out the rest of the harbor while you wait?"

Solana nodded. "Sounds like a good idea." She walked out the door and waved back at the receptionist. "Thank you!"

"Come back any time!" the woman called as Solana went out the doors.

The ocean breeze once again tickled Solana's nose. "At least I can relax a bit before I start a busy work schedule," she said out loud. She looked around and saw a lighthouse. "That might be something cool to look at." She began to walk to it, but was stopped when she felt someone tug on her arm. Solana looked down to see a small boy.

"Um, excuse me. Ranger?" he asked in a small voice. "Can you do something for me?"

Solana was about to tell the young boy she wasn't a Ranger just yet, but when she saw how scared he looked she decided against it. "Sure," she replied. She took the boy's hand and he led her to large crate. Solana was about to ask exactly what was wrong about the crate, but then it shook. The Ranger knelt next to the crate as the boy watched.

"Wh-what if it's an Ekans?" he asked, terrified.

"Then I'll protect you," Solana promised. She slapped the crate with an open hand. Something jumped out from behind the crate and the boy screamed. Solana looked over only to see a Plusle. Scared, the Plusle ran off towards the city and the boy sighed. "See, nothing to worry about," Solana told him.

He smiled. "Yeah. Thanks Ranger!" he yelled as he ran off to the other end of the harbor. Solana smiled as well and waved to him as he moved farther and farther away.

"Hey Ranger!"

Solana turned around to see a man with green hair and a Ranger uniform similar to Solana's, except he had full-length pants and a white headband. Solana immediately recognized him from newspapers, but he beat Solana to the punch. "Solana, right?"

"Y-y-y-yes, sir. That's me." She extended her hand, which shook with nervousness and excitement. "You must be Spenser. I-I…it's an honor to meet you, sir."

Spenser laughed and shook her hand. "No need to be nervous, Solana. And you can me Spenser, no need to call me 'sir', understand?"

"Of course!" Solana exclaimed.

"I trust you weren't waiting long?" he asked.

"Not long at all," the girl replied.

Spenser looked his new recruit over. "That uniform looks a bit big on you," he stated.

Solana inspected her uniform. Now that she looked closer, it did seem a bit big. "Don't worry," she said. "I'm sure I'll grow into it."

"I wouldn't be surprised," he agreed. "Shall we go? Everyone at the base is waiting to meet you." Before Solana could reply an angry cry came from somewhere in the city.

"What's that?" Solana asked.

"It's coming from the fountain! Let's hurry!" he ordered. Solana followed her new Leader as they raced to the fountain. There was a Houndoom, and it looked really angry. In front of it was the Plusle from before, extremely scared. "I'll place my bets on the fact that Plusle played a prank on Houndoom that it didn't like," Spenser said.

"I agree," Solana said. "But we have to help that Plusle."

Spenser smiled. "Then you'll be needing this." He handed Solana a device that she knew oh-so well.

"A Capture Styler!" Solana squealed. She started to jump up and down, then abruptly stopped. "Uh…how do I use this?" she asked.

Spenser chuckled. Then he pointed his Styler at the Houndoom. "Capture on!" he yelled. He pushed a button on the side of the Styler and a disc shot out from it. It began to circle the Houndoom, and Spenser began to guide it by making circles with the Styler. As the Line began to close around Houndoom, it became increasingly angry. Just when it looked like Houndoom would attack the Capture Line, the circle completely closed around it. Houndoom calmed down and swung its head around, wondering where it was. "Capture complete," Spenser said as the disc went back into the Styler. He turned to Solana. "Think you can calm the Plusle?" he asked her.

Solana looked at her Styler. She grew extremely determined. "Yes," she said calmly. She turned to the Plusle and pointed the Styler at her. Quickly she took a deep breath. "Capture on!" she yelled and pushed the button. The disc shot out and began to circle the scared Pokémon. Solana began to make the same motions as Spenser. Plusle was about to jump out of the Line, but Solana finished her capture before it could. Plusle calmed down, sat down, and sighed. "Capture complete."

Spenser smiled. "Excellent, Solana," he stated. "You're a natural." The girl swelled with pride. "Normally, I would have to give you a written test to see if you were qualified, but forget that! Besides, you probably would have passed it with flying colors." The two laughed. Spenser then grabbed a paper and a pen out of his pocket and handed it to Solana. "If you sign the bottom, you'll be an official Ranger."

Solana took the paper and read it. She smiled and happily signed it. Then she handed it back to Spenser. "Thank you, Spenser," she said.

"Of course!" Spenser exclaimed. "I'm lucky to get a Ranger like you on my team." Solana swelled with pride once more. "Now, let's release these Pokémon, shall we?"

"Yeah," Solana said. She watched as Spenser released the Houndoom. Unlike Trainers, Rangers didn't hold on to the Pokémon they captured except for one partner Pokémon. Solana then released her Plusle, but the Pokémon was a little reluctant. She kept looking back at the Ranger with curiosity after every couple of steps. After looking back Solana once more, she ran off into the city.

"Well," Spenser sighed when Plusle was gone. "That was an interesting way to find out if you're Ranger material. Now, are we ready to go to Ringtown?"

"Sure!" Solana exclaimed. "But how are we getting there?"

Spenser pointed up, and the rookie followed his finger. She saw a Fearow flying overhead. "That's my partner," Spenser explained. "So I expect you to hold on tight."

"Right." She walked over to her Leader and wrapped her arms around him.

Spenser smiled and then looked up. "Sorry to keep you waiting, buddy!" he yelled. "We're ready!"

Fearow swooped down, but before he picked up the two Rangers, Plusle ran up and grabbed Solana's ankle. Solana looked down and was about to get her off, but then Spenser grabbed Fearow's right talons, so she was forced to keep her grip on Spenser. She felt her feet leave the ground, and soon she felt the rush of the wind around her body. Scared, Solana shut her eyes. Plusle, desperately hanging on to Solana's leg, closed her eyes as well.

Spenser looked at his newest Ranger and said, "Don't worry. Fearow is really strong, and I've got you. Just look around you; we'll be home soon, and you don't want to miss the view."

Solana reluctantly opened one eye, and then the other snapped open. She could see the ocean and all of Fiore, its many mountains and forests. It was breath taking, and Solana was glad she had followed Spenser's suggestion. And just like Spenser had said, the group arrived in Ringtown in no time. They touched ground, and when the Ranger Leader let go of Fearow, the Beak Pokémon flew to the top of the Base and disappeared through the open roof.

Finally Solana had a chance to check on Plusle. She was still holding on tightly to Solana's ankle, and she was shaking furiously. But she slowly opened her eyes and realized they weren't flying anymore. She looked up at Solana and smiled. "Plu!" she cried.

"When did Plusle get on your leg, Solana?" Spenser asked.

Solana looked at her Leader. "It grabbed my ankle just before you grabbed Fearow," she explained. "I was going to get it off, but then Fearow took off."

Spenser looked at Plusle. "Well, there's not much we can do about that, now," he said. "I bet Fearow's too tired to carry us back, but once he's back in shape I'll fly Plusle back to Fall City."

Plusle looked at the man and was about to shake her head, but then the door to the building opened. Plusle freaked out and ran to the forest.

Solana and Spenser watch it go. "Maybe once it calms down," Spenser added.

"Did something happen?" Solana looked to see a boy with a Ringtown uniform almost identical to Spenser's, except his pants were shorter in length. He had blue hair held back by a red headband, and on his shoulder was a Minun, who was looking straight at Solana curiously.

"Nothing, Lunick," Spenser stated. "How's the base?"

"Just fine," Lunick replied. He looked at Solana and chuckled. "And who's the beauty?"

Solana blushed. "This is Solana," Spenser said.

"Ah, the new Ranger," the boy stated. "Well, good to have you on the team, Solana." He stuck out his hand.

The rookie smiled. "Thanks," she replied and shook his hand.

"Well, why don't we go inside?" Spenser said. The three walked into the building.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Lunick said. He pointed to Minun and said, "This little guy is my partner, Minun. Come on, introduce yourself to the girl."

"Minun!" Minun exclaimed and held up a paw. Solana smiled and waved at him. They entered the lobby, where another Ranger waited. He was a bit chubby and had reddish hair. Next to him was a Slowpoke.

"Oh, hey!" the boy exclaimed. "You must be the new Ranger. I'm Murph! And you're Solana right? Yep, I know your name cause I got to read the letters you sent in. 7 in total."

"7, huh?" Lunick said. He chuckled again. "Then can I call you Lucky? 7 is a lucky number, you know."

Solana turned to him, blushing again. "Uh, actually I prefer Solana, but you can me Lucky on occasion, I guess." She laughed nervously.

Lunick smiled. "Alright then, Solana, I'll uphold your request."

Spenser then cleared his throat to get their attention. "Alright everyone, line up," he ordered. And they did. "Solana, today is your first day. I wish I could give you a mission to start with, but we don't have any right now. So Lunick, can you show her-"

Suddenly the door flew open. A man rushed in, looking very distressed. "Spenser, you've gotta help!" he exclaimed. "My darling Tailow got lost in Lyra Forest!"

Spenser smiled. "No problem." He grabbed Solana shoulder. "Look's like I found your first mission. You're going to look for, and calm down, Larry's Tailow. You ready?"

Solana nodded. But Larry was now even more distressed. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Spenser, you can't be serious! She's just a rookie!"

"And she'll do just fine," Spenser stated. "I'll be out there, watching her. I'll meet you at the entrance to Lyra Forest, Solana." And with that he walked out of the Base.

Larry gave Solana an evil glare. "Well, isn't this just dandy? I came to ask Spenser for help because he's the most trustworthy guy around, and instead I get a rookie. And probably the most untrustworthy face I've ever seen!" He stormed out of the Base.

Solana felt crushed. She almost started crying when Lunick put his hand on her shoulder. "Don't let Larry get to you," he said. "He's always saying that to new Rangers. Cheer up! Like Leader said, you'll do just fine." He smiled, and so Solana couldn't help but smile as well. "Good! Now, take a deep breath." Solana followed his instructions. "You ready?"

"Yep," Solana replied.

"Is your Styler on?"

Solana checked. It wasn't, but she opened it up and pressed the on switch. "It is now," she stated.

Lunick laughed. "Alright, you're good to go! So go get it!" And with that Solana exited the Base. But as soon as she walked out, she started breathing really hard and choppy. _What if I screw up? _she panicked. _I'm not ready for this! _Lunick suddenly appeared next to her. "I actually had a feeling this would happen," he said sheepishly. "How about I show you the way to Lyra Forest and then stay to cheer you on?"

"I guess," Solana said quietly.

"Hey, don't worry," Lunick reassured her. "Fear no failure." Solana nodded slowly. Then Lunick led the rookie to the entrance of the forest, where Spenser and Larry were waiting.

"There you are, Solana," Spenser called. "Thought you got scared off. You ready?" Solana nodded and tried to ignore the glare she was receiving from Larry. "I'll follow behind you, and Lunick can stay here with Larry. When we find his Tailow, we'll bring it back here."

"Ok," Solana replied. And she led the trek through the forest. But they didn't have to look for long or very far. Some kids were in the forest, a girl relaxing and a boy pretending to be a Ranger. They both said they had seen Larry's Tailow fly by and pointed in the direction she went. The two Rangers soon found the Tailow frantic and flustered.

"All right Solana, calm it down," Spenser ordered.

"Yes." She whipped out her Styler and did the same thing she had done to capture the Plusle. Tailow was a bit more active than Plusle, and she tried to dart away, but Solana followed Tailow's movements and capture it with ease. "Capture complete," she stated, and then sighed.

Spenser smiled. "Awesome job!" he exclaimed. "Now, let's bring it back to Larry." So Solana and Spenser returned to the entrance where Larry and Lunick waited. When Larry saw his Tailow, he was ecstatic.

"My Tailow! My darling Tailow! Are you alright, dear?" Tailow chirped. Larry smiled. "Well, that's a relief. Let's go home." And the two left.

Solana blinked. "What? No apology? No thank you?"

Lunick laughed. "Funny, that's exactly how my rookie mission went." Solana looked at him, confused, so he explained. "Larry lost his Tailow when I became a rookie. And he pulled the same act. No apologies. No thank you."

"But I'll say this," Spenser said. "You did really well. I'm proud of you."

Solana smiled and was about to suggest going back to the Base when the boy from earlier ran up. "Um…Rangers," he began. "The trees over there are on fire!"

The three Rangers looked to where the boy was pointing, and sure enough, smoke was rising into the sky. "Well, this is an interesting turn of events," Spenser stated. "Let's go!" The group ran over to the trees. Only two were on fire, but if they didn't stop it, then the trees around them would catch, and that would be a disaster. "I'll get a Mudkip," the Leader said and ran off.

Lunick watched him go. "He'll be back in a second," he said.

Solana turned to him. "Is it going to be able to put out both trees?" she asked.

The boy thought about it. "Probably not," he admitted. "Why don't you get another one?"

"But where would one be?" the rookie asked in a panic.

Lunick pointed off in the direction Spenser had gone. "They're usually around the river," he informed her. "Hurry and get one."

"Right." Solana ran to the river, and luckily there was one right in front of her when she arrived. She got out her Styler and quickly captured it. "Let's go!" she told it, and the two ran back to the trees. Spenser had already arrived back at the scene, and his Mudkip was putting out one tree.

"Good," he said when Solana arrived. "Seems you got another Mudkip. Now order it to put out the other tree."

Solana nodded. "Mudkip, use Water Gun on that tree!" The Mudkip began to spray water onto the tree, while Spenser's was almost done. The two flames were finally put out, and the two Mudkips calmly walked back to the river. The trees were a little charred, but not too badly.

"Once again Solana, you did great," Spenser stated. Solana smiled, but the boy didn't look happy.

"Um…sorry," he suddenly piped up. "I was doing that loopy thing you Ranger do, and I scared a Torchic, and it breathed fire onto the trees, and…I'm sorry! It won't happen again! I'll learn to be respectful to Pokémon, I promise!"

Spenser walked over to the boy, knelt down, looked him straight in the eye, and said, "That was very brave of you to say. Don't ever forget what you said, alright?" The boy nodded. Spenser stood up and looked at his Rangers. "Well, shall we head back?"

"Yes!" the two exclaimed.

So the three headed back to the Base, where once again Spenser gave his congratulations on Solana's rookie mission, and then ordered her and Lunick to patrol the streets. "Neat," Lunick stated. "I get to hang with the pretty girl." Solana blushed once more, and the two walked out of the Base again to check on the citizens of Ringtown. But when the two exited, they heard a Pokémon cry somewhere from farther up town. "What was that?" Lunick asked.

Solana ran ahead, and saw the Plusle from before being chased by a Tailow. And right behind the furious Tailow was Larry. "Tailow, darling, stop!" the man cried.

"Here we go again," Solana sighed. "Hold on, Plusle!" She ran to the scene and prepared to capture the Tailow once more. But Plusle, out of fear, launched a Thunder Wave, shocking Larry's Tailow in place.

"Solana, now's your chance!" Lunick cried.

"On it!" Solana launched the disc and in no time captured Tailow.

Lunick ran up to her. "Not bad," he said. The town was in awe as well. Never had a rookie been this good.

Larry ran up to the Rangers. "Oh, it's you," Larry said, but this time he sounded grateful. "You captured my Tailow again. Impressive! I forgot to thank you last time…uh…"

"Solana," she informed the man.

"Yes," he replied. "I'm sorry for being rude to you. You're very good."

"Larry," Lunick piped up. "Can you tell us why Tailow was chasing this Plusle?"

Larry thought about it. "Well, I was so happy about getting Tailow back, and I was giving her plenty of love. I'm guessing Plusle got jealous, and it began to annoy Tailow."

"So that's how it is," Solana stated. She looked at the little Pokémon and scolded her gently. "I want you to apologize to Tailow properly, Plusle."

Plusle walked over to Tailow and did as she was told. "I think Plusle might be lonely," Larry proposed. "Many Pokémon tend to be that way when they're lonely. Well, Tailow, shall we go home?" And the two went back to their house.

The Rangers watched them go, and Plusle grabbed Solana's leg and tugged at it. Solana looked down to see Plusle on the verge of tears. "I think Larry is right," Lunick said. "Plusle is lonely, and it seems to like you a lot, Solana. I actually think it thinks you're mad at it."

"Oh Plusle," Solana said caringly and picked the Cheering Pokémon up. "I'm not mad at you, I'm making sure you know for the future." Plusle instantly cheered up and pressed her cheek against Solana's.

Lunick laughed. "It really likes you, Solana. Maybe you just have that special touch."

"Not really," Solana replied. "I've met this Plusle before."

"Really?" Lunick questioned. "Care to explain?"

So Solana explained everything from when she arrived in Fall City to arriving in Ringtown. "And here we are," Solana finished up.

Lunick smiled. "Then I think you two would be a perfect match. You don't have a partner Pokémon yet, so how about Plusle?"

Plusle's eyes shimmered and she began to jump up and down. Solana giggled. "Alright, Plusle, you're my partner from this day forward!"

Minun and Plusle cheered together, and Lunick laughed. "I'll take a wild guess this Plusle is a girl."

Solana looked at him. "What makes you say that?"

He chuckled. "Just a hunch." Plusle nodded in response, and Lunick smiled. "So with that, why don't we patrol?"

The two finished up patrol with no one needing anything. So the Rangers ended up back at the Base. "We're back, Leader!" Solana called out.

"I'll assume it went well," Spenser replied. Then he spied Plusle. "That wouldn't happen to be the same Plusle from Fall City, would it?"

"She was being a prankster," Lunick explained. "But Solana made her stop. And, well, Spenser…"

Spenser stopped him. "No need to explain. I can see it with my own eyes. Solana has chosen Plusle as her partner."

Lunick smiled. He loved how understanding Leader was. "Spenser, are there any other missions in need of attention?" Lunick asked.

Spenser thought about it. "No," he said. "You can patrol Lyra Forest if you want."

"Alright!" Lunick exclaimed. "Come on, Minun. See you later, Solana." And with that Solana's coworker was gone.

Solana figured she should explore the rest of the Base, but before she could go anywhere, the door opened again. An old man in a lab coat and top hat walked in. "Ugh, I got lost in that dreadful Lyra Forest again!" he complained. "But I digress. It's good to see you, Spenser." Then he saw Solana. "Oh, and who's this? Might this be the new Ranger you were talking about?"

"Yep, this is our newest rookie, Solana," Spenser stated as the professor walked up to him.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, young lady. They call me Professor Hastings, but you can call me Professor, or Hastings, which ever you prefer."

Solana bowed in respect. "It's nice to meet you, as well."

Hastings tipped his hat and Spenser spoke up. "Professor, there was something I wanted to address about the new Styler you left with us. The Super Styler, right? It certainly is powerful. But I've been concerned about what would happen if it falls in the hands of criminals…"

Hastings looked at him. "Oh with you it should be fine. Still, the thought is unsettling. But I wanted to know how it was doing from your mouth and walked all the way from Fall City. I'm glad you think it is a marvelous piece of work." He smiled at his creation.

But that didn't ease Spenser. "Still…"

"What's a Super Styler?" Solana piped up.

Spenser suddenly remembered his rookie was in the room, and he smiled nervously at her. "Oh, Solana, I have a question to ask. Can you check on my Fearow for me? It would be most helpful." Solana was confused, but nodded. "He's on the top floor. Just ask Marty how Fearow's doing and come back down."

"Yes Spenser," Solana responded. But as she made her way to the elevator, she was still wondering about this Super Styler. And some how, she figured she had a mission coming up.


	3. Chapter 2: A Not So Peaceful Escort

The elevator made its way to the second floor and Solana, with Plusle on her shoulder, stepped out. The second floor wasn't much; it had what looked like some sort of mini landing pad, which made sense since the roof could open up for flying Pokémon to fly in. There also were two doors, one to the boys' bedroom and one to the girls. Solana, though, had the feeling she wouldn't be in there that much.

A young man suddenly appeared from out of the boys' bedroom. He had the same exact uniform as Lunick. He was burly and had black hair. "Are you Marty?" Solana called to him.

He turned to Solana. "Yeah," he replied. "You must be the new rookie. Solana, right?"

Solana nodded. "How's Fearow?"

"Oh, Fearow," Marty said. "He's fine. Come over here." He led Solana to the opposite end of the room. There was a big nest Solana hadn't noticed before. Fearow was curled up tightly, sleeping soundly. "He's just tired. Fearow's strong, but carrying a full-grown man and someone close to that size took a toll on him. I'll wager he'll be out for another two hours or so."

"Which means someone will have to escort Professor Hastings home," Solana concluded. Plusle then jumped off her partner's shoulder and slowly walked up to Fearow. She looked at him, and was about to poke him when Solana said, "Plusle." The Cheering Pokémon looked up. "Let Fearow sleep. We have to report to Spenser." So Plusle jumped back onto Solana's shoulder and the two went down the elevator.

When Solana returned downstairs, the two men had just finished talking. "So Solana," Spenser said when she walked up to them. "How's Fearow?" Solana told him, and Spenser nodded. "I thought that would be the case. Which means, Solana, your first real mission will be to escort Professor Hastings back to Fall City."

Solana was a little disappointed that her first mission would be an escort mission, but she nodded anyway. "Yes, Spenser."

"Well then, shall we go?" the professor stated. "Don't worry about me, young lady. I may be old, but I can walk like everyone else."

The young Ranger smiled. _Maybe this won't be so bad_, she thought. _Plus, it gives me a break from everything chaotic that happened in such a short amount of time._ So with the professor in tow, Solana left for Fall City.

Walking through the forest was actually very relaxing. Solana even started humming. Then she saw how Professor Hastings was keeping up with her. "How do you walk so fast?" she asked.

Hastings laughed. "Solana, do you believe Hastings is my real last name?"

"Well, I would assume."

The old man laughed again. "It's actually a nickname. I'm always in a hurry, and my catchphrase is 'Let us haste!'. So eventually people began to refer to me as Hastings. It's been that way for at least 15 years."

"Coool," Solana replied. The two had made their way to the middle of Lyra Forest at this point, and Solana could see a giant tree. The way the sunlight hit the tree's leaves laminated everything in a greenish-gold glow. "So pretty," Solana breathed. Plusle, who was actually walking beside her, gasped as well.

Hastings nodded. "It's all thanks to Rangers. They keep this place beautiful. But I'm sure you knew that." Solana smiled. "Now, to Krokka Tunnel!" he exclaimed.

From where the two were, Krokka Tunnel wasn't too much farther ahead. Solana was expecting little to no light, but as it turned out when the entered, she saw many lights hanging from the walls. "Do many people use this tunnel?"

"It's the most efficient way to get between Ringtown and Fall City, unless you're a Ranger. Then you could use the Dragonite Bus to get anywhere."

"Dragonite Bus?" Solana thought about that. "You mean to tell me we could have used a Dragonite to get to Fall City?"

Hastings laughed. "Two problems with that theory: 1, you're not high enough rank to control such a powerful Pokémon and 2, what's wrong with walking?" He suddenly saw a Dugtrio poke from out of the ground. "Now that's a rare sight," he said and walked up to it to get a closer, but when it saw the man it became frightened and hid back underground. Hastings stood in shock for a moment. "How very rude of Dugtrio!" he scolded.

Solana and Plusle giggled, but before the two could move they heard a noise. The team looked up and was frightened to see two huge boulders drop from the ceiling. Solana was about to cry out, but they hit the ground before she could say anything. Dust flew everywhere, and Solana coughed a few times and rubbed her eyes. "Professor?" she called out, worried. "Professor, where are you?"

"On the other side, dear," she heard. "Don't worry, I'm just fine. Just find another way around, and hurry!"

So Ranger and Pokémon ran down a pathway that eventually led to a room with a small pool of water. The blue resonated onto the walls and moss, but Solana and Plusle had no time to marvel. They ran as fast as they could and ended up on the other side of the room, just in time to see the professor being confronted by two guys. They both wore white and red shirts, white pants, and black vest, and purple sunglasses. And they didn't look too friendly.

"Who are you?" Hastings demanded.

"It's nice to meet you, Professor Hastings," one of the men said, ignoring the professor's demand. "We'll be taking that Super Styler off your hands now." His partner quickly reached into Hastings's right pocket and pulled out what looked like a Styler.

"Hey!" Solana shouted.

"Sorry, that's all the time we have today!" the first man exclaimed. "Adios, senior!" And with that the two ran off.

Hastings grunted. "Hurry, Solana! We must catch them!"

"Right!" the young Ranger agreed. They followed the strange men further down, where they where actually waiting. "Glad you thieves decided to wait," Solana growled. "Now hand back what you stole!"

The second man smiled. "Sorry little lady, but that isn't happening," he snickered. Then he pulled out a remote control. "I hope you two didn't think that rock fall was natural. And now stay in here, courtesy of us, the Go-Rock Squad!" He pressed the button, and once again there was a rumbling noise. Solana looked up, half expecting to get crushed, but she didn't see anything. She just heard something crash behind her, which made her jump and turn around to find two more large boulders blocking the way…to Ringtown. The grunt looked nervous. "Uh…this…I think they call it…a screw-up?"

His partner punched his arm. "Of course it's a screw-up, you idiot! How are we supposed to slow them down now?"

"Oh, I'm sorry!" the thief snapped. "I just happened to press the button for the traps YOU set! You're the one who's an idiot!"

Solana couldn't believe what was happening. She "coughed", and when the two grunts looked at her she raised an eyebrow and held out her hand. "You can give back that Styler now," she informed dully.

The Go-Rock Squad members blinked. "Run for it!" the first man exclaimed, and the two ran as fast as they could, like their pants were on fire or something.

The young Ranger took off after them. "Get back here!" she demanded. The professor and Plusle followed after her, and when they reached the other side they couldn't find the grunts anywhere. But they did find something else. A big something else that was destroying boulders. "That's one angry Rhydon," Solana squeaked.

"Those scoundrels must have done something to enrage it," Hastings stated. He looked at the rookie. "Solana, you must calm it down before it endangers someone."

"I wish I had actually stopped at that pool," Solana muttered. "I could have captured a Poliwag or something." She sighed and pulled out her Styler. "Well, here goes nothing! Capture on!" The disc shot out from the Styler and began to circle Rhydon. Then Solana began to guide the disc, but Rhydon was definitely more active than both Plusle, Tailow, and Mudkip. And because it was part Ground type, Plusle couldn't paralyze it. Rhydon actually tried to claw at the disc, so out of reaction Solana swung her arm outward, and realized that the disc followed.

"Solana, you don't have to make a perfect circle," Hastings informed her. "As long as the line eventually goes around Rhydon enough times, the capture will work, even if your circle is more of an oval."

"That's good to know!" Solana exclaimed. So now, instead of making the circle motion like Spenser taught her, she now used a more free form motion, focusing more on capturing instead of how it looked. And things were definitely going much smoother. Now Rhydon became confused at where the disc was, and soon was captured. It blinked, out of its daze. "Capture complete," Solana stated. Then she fell to her knees. "My arm feels like a noodle," she complained. "Not to mention those grunts got away."

Hastings laughed as the Rhydon retreated to the forest. "It'll get use it, dear," he stated. "And don't worry. One day we will find them. Now come on. Fall City awaits!" The old man marched on, and Solana, with Plusle now on her shoulder. But unlike the old professor, Solana was in little spirits. And how could she be, when her first real mission ended in complete failure? She didn't even notice they were in front of the Base until Professor Hastings exclaimed, "Here we are, Fall City Ranger Base!" He finally noticed Solana looking glum. "Dear, what's wrong?"

Solana sighed. "Isn't it obvious? I failed. They stole your Styler and…I may not know much about it but…I know it's powerful and…"

The professor put his hand on her shoulder and smiled. "Now you listen here," he began. "Your mission, if I remember correctly, was to escort me here. Are we not here? And look at me! Not a single scratch. Yes, the Super Styler is gone, but like I said, we will find it." He laughed. "If I were Spenser, I would say a job well done! And since I have the authority to do so, I will say Mission Accomplished!"

The young Ranger smiled. "Thank you for your kind words," she stated. Then she heard a screechy cry. She looked over the professor's shoulder to see someone riding a Dodrio. The Triple Bird Pokémon stopped right in front of the Base, allowing the man on its back to get off. He has blonde hair and wore purple glasses, along with a faded purple shirt with a white collar, faded purple pants, and white shoes. Immediately Solana recognized him from the newspapers as Joel, the Fall City Leader, but decided to keep her mouth shut.

"Welcome back, Professor!" Joel exclaimed. "How has Spenser been?"

"Good, as always," Hastings reported. "Unfortunately I have some bad news: the Super Styler was stolen on my way over here." Despite Hastings's assurances, Solana couldn't help but feel sorry for herself when he said that.

Joel looked troubled. "That's not good. We should discuss this in the Base." Joel entered his Base, with Professor Hastings following behind.

Solana watched the men disappear inside and sighed. "You know what's really ironic, Plusle?" she told her partner. "Lunick made my nickname 'Lucky'." And she followed her superiors inside.


	4. Chapter 3: Fall City Case Log

Solana looked around the Base. It looked no different from the Ringtown Base, except that it was green, not orange. "You wouldn't happen to be Spenser's newest rookie?" Solana's ears picked up. She turned and realized Joel was talking to her. "Solana, right?"

The rookie snapped to attention. One of the greatest Leaders was talking to her right now. Not that she believe she deserved it, after her embarrassing failure. "Y-y-y-yes sir, th-that's me," she stammered.

Joel pushed his glasses up. "It's okay, kid, you can calm down. Do I look angry to you?" Solana relaxed. "The professor told me about your mission. And I agree, you did very well in bring him here safely. Don't worry about the Super Styler, you did what you could." Solana still wasn't convinced, and Joel could see that. "Spenser and I just talked. You're pretty amazing for being at Rank 1. In fact," he held up a badge with the number 2 on it, "I don't think that 1 looks good on you any more. How about you move up a rank?" The Fall City Leader threw her the badge, which Solana caught. She felt her hands tingle. With shaky hands she removed the "1" badge from her left shoulder and replaced it with the "2". Joel smiled.

Solana looked at him and smiled too. Then she bowed. "Thank you, sir," she said.

"Joel," he replied. "Just call me Joel." Then he turned to the professor. "Professor, I would like to speak with you. Upstairs, if that is okay." Hastings nodded. "Solana, just stay down here for a while. I will give you your next mission when the two of us are done." The men made their way to the elevator and disappeared.

The new Rank 2 Ranger watched. Then she sighed. "I'm glad that went well," she mumbled.

"So you're Solana, huh?" she heard someone say. Solana turned to find two male Fall City Rangers, both wearing the same uniform as Joel, except they had brown boots. Both men had blonde hair, and one had green eyes while the other had brown. "Lunick told us about you," the green-eyed one stated.

"You know Lunick?" she asked as she walked to the table they were sitting at.

"Ringtown Rangers and Fall City Rangers know each other really well since it's only a tunnel walk away," the green one informed. "By the way, name's Lind. Nice to meet you, Lucky."

Solana sighed. "Lunick told you about my nickname as well, I see."

The brown-eyed Ranger laughed. "He did say you might not like it." Then he patted the chair next to him. "I'm Keith, in case you were wondering."

The rookie sat down. "I just don't feel so lucky right now," she said sadly.

"You were praised by Spenser, Hastings, and Joel," Lind brought up. "Yeah, the Super Styler got stolen, but if I were you, I'd be more focused on how three of the most famous men in Fiore just complimented me! Then again," he leaned back in his chair, "I probably relax too much."

Keith laughed again. "You should have been assigned to Summerland instead," he joked.

Solana giggled. "Or maybe I'm just taking this too seriously," she stated.

"Exactly," Lind agreed. "So lighten up. We'll get it back. And it's not like the plans we stolen; they can always make a new one." The door then opened, and both Fall City Rangers turned around. "Hey, Aria!" Lind greeted. "Back so soon?"

"At least I'm not lazy like you, Lind," the woman said coldly. Solana studied her. She had blonde hair that went down to her shoulders and was curled at the ends. She had blue eyes and wore a purple and white jacket with white cuffs, brown gloves, a brown belt, white pants, and brown shoes. She then noticed Solana. Aria raised an eyebrow. "That uniform…I assume you're Ringtown's newest Ranger?"

Solana nodded and stood up. "The name's Solana." She held out her hand. "It's very nice to meet you."

Aria looked at Solana's hand. "Solana…" she repeated. "Kind of bland if you ask me, but I'll try to remember it." The Ringtown Ranger was taken aback by her rudeness, but before she could say something the elevator door opened. Aria looked past Solana, and the new Ranger knew she had lost interest in her.

"Everyone, line up," Joel ordered as he made his way to the middle of the room. All four Rangers obeyed and stood in front of him. The Leader pushed up his glasses. He glanced at Solana apologetically, so she knew what was coming up. "I have some bad news. Today, a gang that calls themselves the Go-Rock Squad robbed Professor Hastings of the invaluable Super Styler. While it is still in development, it could, and should, be considered a newer version of the Capture Styler. With that being said, in criminal hands it could become extremely dangerous. I want all Fall City Rangers to find out any information about these criminals and try to retrieve the Super Styler at all costs. Is that clear, Lind?" The Leader looked straight at the Ranger.

Lind nodded. "Of course, sir," he replied.

Hastings tipped his hat to get everyone's attention. "Of course, Fall City Rangers are not limited to this mission. All Rangers around the region will be required with this task and it is now top priority." The old man sighed. "I'm sorry for my carelessness."

"There's no need to cover up for rookie mistakes," Aria mumbled. Solana heard her, and was hurt badly. She really wanted to say something, but decided against it.

Joel looked at the professor, not hearing his ranger's comment. "This was an unfortunate incident that could have happened to anyone," he assured. "No one here blames you." He turned back to the Rangers. "Everyone is dismissed."

"Yes sir!" the Fall City Ranger shouted before leaving.

Solana wasn't sure what to do, so she walked up to Joel. "Joel, what do I do?" she asked.

The Leader looked at her. "Rest for the night," he informed. "Then you will patrol the streets tomorrow."

"What?!" she exclaimed. "With all due respect, sir, this whole mess is my fault, and I want to help as much as I can."

Joel put his hand on her shoulder. "I know," he stated. "I know you feel guilty. But with all Fall City Rangers on this mission, there's no one to make sure that the citizens are okay. And, I know I just bumped you up a rank, but it's still too low to take on this mission. Listen Solana, you ARE helping, but not in the way I know you want to."

Solana looked down. "Cheer up, dear," Hastings said. "You'll get in there one day and help with this big mission. I feel it."

"The professor's right," Joel agreed. "Now eat up and get some rest. You've had quite the day."

The Ranger looked back up, then bowed. "Good night," she said, and made her way to the elevator.

…

"So…" Solana began as she and Plusle walked outside the next day. "Know where to start?" Plusle shrugged. The rookie sighed. "I don't either. Man, patrolling means almost anything." She sighed again. "Well, I guess if we start walking around we'll find someone." Suddenly her Styler buzzed. She pulled it out of its holder and checked it. It was from Spenser.

"I know you're in an unfamiliar and big place, so things may not be easy for you" it read, "but hang in there. Helping citizens is a big job, and I know you can do it. I'm counting on you."

Solana smiled. "Thanks, Spenser," she said aloud. Then her Styler buzzed again, but this time it was a call. She didn't look at who it was and just picked it up. "Hello?"

"Hey, Lucky," Lunick's voice rang in her ear. "How was your first day?"

Solana groaned and slumped on the nearby bench. "Well, after yesterday, I don't feel so lucky," she told him.

There was a pause. For some reason she imagined him raising an eyebrow. "How many times yesterday did you get told to cheer up?" he asked.

"Twice by Hastings, twice by Joel, and once by Lind," she replied.

"Then I don't think I need to say it again," he said. "Hell, I probably would have been walking to where Hastings was, and by then they would have been looooooong gone." Solana giggled. "Listen, you did your best and Hastings is safe. To a Ranger, safety is the most important."

The new Ranger smiled. "Thanks, Lunick."

"That's what I'm here for," he replied. "I've gotta go. Have fun patrolling! And think of it this way, you'll probably make some new friends." And with that he hung up.

Solana looked at her Styler, then squeezed it. She stood up, now filled with new determination. "Maybe I'll even get a rank boost from this job!" she exclaimed. "And then, Plusle, we'll be one step closer to helping everyone find those crooks! So…" she pumped her fist into the air and shouted, "how about we get started!"

"Plusle!" The Cheering Pokémon exclaimed, pumping her paw in the air as well.

So, with their heads held high, they began to walk down the sidewalk, and it didn't take long for someone to walk up to them. The teen girl looked very familiar to Solana. "Hey, Ranger!" the girl called. "Would you mind coming to my apartment to help with something? Then she blinked. "Hey, aren't you the same Ranger from yesterday? What are still doing here?"

It was the girl from the harbor. Today though she wore a blue shirt, a blue skirt, and white shoes. _I can tell this is going to be fun_, Solana thought in annoyance. "All of the Fall City Rangers are out on a big mission," Solana explained. "So I'm patrolling today. You need something, I've got it covered."

"If you say so," the teen replied.

"Look, do you need help or not?" Solana asked in an annoyed tone.

"Yeah." The girl smiled nervously. "Sorry, I'm the judgmental type. I really need to work on that. Anyway, I'll show you the way to where I live." She started walking with Solana behind her.

"What's going on?" the Ranger asked.

The girl smiled sheepishly. "It'll be easier to understand by seeing it," she replied. "Oh, and my name is Carrie. Thought I would mention that."

"I'm Solana." The girls made their way to a big pink building. Solana just stared at it. "That's your house?" she squeaked.

Carrie giggled. "You've never seen an apartment complex before?"

Solana shook her head. "You'd be surprised to know that Veilstone City only has houses and mansions," she explained.

"Well, this is one. It is pretty impressive, but it's by no means one person's house. I find those people crazy. Come on, my suite is on the first floor." Carrie led Solana inside and immediately took a right. She led the young Ranger to a door with a large crate in front. "To be honest, I've only been here a few days," Carrie explained.

"Then why did you ask why I didn't know MY way around?" Solana asked.

"I get use to cities fast," Carrie replied. "I guess I expect everyone to do the same, even rookie Rangers. Sorry about that." Solana smiled. "The movers just brought everything else over today," her client continued, "and while I was around town exploring they finished up. They must have left the box here by accident, but it's too heavy for me to move."

Solana walked up to the side of the crate and tried pushing it. She was actually very strong (having Maylene as a teacher can do that), but it wouldn't budge. "Is there a Fighting type anywhere around here?" Solana asked.

Carrie thought. "I think there's a wild Makuhita just up the stairs outside," she said.

"Plusle, stay here with Carrie. I'll be right back." The Ranger quickly ran back outside and up the stairs. Luckily, the Makuhita was right where Carrie said it was. Solana quickly captured the Guts Pokémon. She loved this new free form motion Hastings had told her about. Capturing Pokémon was even faster than before. So with the Makuhita at her side she made her way back inside and to where Carrie and Plusle were waiting. "Alright Makuhita, move that crate for us." Makuhita shoved it aside as if were nothing, yawned, and walked back outside.

"Thanks, Solana!" Carrie exclaimed. "There are probably boxes everywhere, but I bet the way to the kitchen is still free. Feel like a snack?" Solana shrugged and the two girls walked inside, only to find that Carrie had an early visitor. She shirked. "What is that thing?!"

Solana laughed. "Don't worry, Carrie. It's just a Venonat. It won't hurt you."

"It still creeps me out!" the girl squeaked. "Please, just catch it!"

"Come on, Venonat," Solana said as she proceeded to capture it. Venonat just looked at her as the disc made its way around. It was easily captured, and Carrie slumped to her knees.

"What a day it's been," she moaned. "Sorry to cause so much trouble for you, Solana."

Solana smiled. "Don't worry about it. That's what I'm here for. I can't really stay, though. Plusle, Venonat, let's go outside."

"Thanks, Solana!" Carrie called after her. "Drop by sometime!"

The Ranger waved and walked out of the building, then released Venonat. "Okay, Plusle, what next?" she asked. Plusle once again shrugged. "Yeah, I expected that." But before Solana could take another step a woman ran up to them.

"Yoo-hoo!" she shouted. "Yes, you Ranger! I need help."

"What happened?" Solana asked.

The woman began to form tears in her eyes. "My adorable and oh-so-lovable Skitty have run away from mumsy-wumsy!" she cried. _With the way you talk I can see why_, Solana thought. "Please, oh pretty please will you round up my pretties right away?" She wiped her eyes. "You know Skitty, right dear? You can solve this lickety-split?"

Solana actually didn't have much experience with the Kitten Pokémon. Veilstone City was filled with more of the roughnecks and fighting experts, so there weren't many cute normal types, or normal types in general. But she felt that mentioning that fact would only make the woman more distressed. "How many are there?" Solana asked.

But before that could be answered, a random wild Skitty walked by and rubbed up against the woman's leg. She picked it up and instantly fell in love with it. "Ooh!" she cooed. "What a pretty Skitty! Ooh, it's so cutesty-wutesy!" She showed the rookie the Skitty. "See, my little pretties look just like this!"

"Ma'am," Solana said with a hint of annoyance. "I know what a Skitty looks like. Now, can you please tell me how many you have?"

"Five, dearie," the woman replied. "Now, shoo-shoo, run along now! Pretty please bring my lovely-wubbly Skitty back to me! I will wait by the Ranger Base." With the wild Skitty in her arms, she began to walk off.

"Hold on, ma'am!" Solana shouted. "I don't know-" But the woman wouldn't stop walking. Solana sighed in frustration. "If this wasn't my job, I'd leave the Skitty to wander the streets," she mumbled.

"Miss Ranger!" someone called out. Solana turned her attention to a little girl wearing a blue vest with a white shirt underneath, a red skirt, and brown shoes.

Solana sighed. "I'm sorry, kid," she said. "I'm taking a pretty big job. Think you can wait?"

"Oh no, I don't need anything," the girl replied. "I was going to help you find Miss Teresa's Skitty."

The Ranger hugged the girl. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she exclaimed.

"No problem. This thing is frequent." The young girl smiled. "Everyone knows about Miss Teresa's Skitty. Even Mister Joel is sick of it." She giggled. "Come on, I'll show you their hangouts." The little girl, Jodi, began to lead Solana back into Carrie's apartment building. "You're lucky Miss Aria isn't doing this," Jodi explained. "She gets really angry when she has to do this."

"She does, huh?" Solana suddenly got an idea for how she would get back at Aria for her comment.

"Yep," Jodi said, smiling. "She turns into a volcano. My mommy always has to cover my ears when she yells about it in public, but I don't know why." The innocent girl shrugged and started humming as she led Solana up to the roof of Carrie's apartment. _A volcano that swears,_ Solana thought. _THAT I've gotta see._ They made their way to the roof, where one Skitty was curled up, licking its paw.

"Sorry to ruin down time, kitty," Solana said. "But I've got a job to do." She easily captured the relaxing Pokémon, and the little girl smiled.

"You're awesome, Miss Solana!" she exclaimed. Solana smiled at her. Then Jodi led her to a house in the northwest of town. It turned out that the family was new, so they didn't know that the Skitty liked to blend in with the plush dolls of the old family. They were surprised to see a real Skitty in their house, but grateful when Solana captured it. The next Skitty was near the fountain, where it was balancing on the edges. "Did you know they haven't named this fountain yet?" Jodi informed as Solana captured the third Skitty.

"The lady at the Tourist Center told me about that," Solana replied.

"There's a big contest being held for the name," Jodi explained. "I want it to be name Splash Fountain!" Solana smiled, and Jodi led her to a trashcan down one of the alleys in the market. Solana hit the trashcan, and the Skitty jumped out. The Ranger quickly captured it, leaving only one more Skitty to find. Jodi led Solana in the opposite direction of the market and to an alleyway. She suddenly stopped. "Um, Miss Solana…" she said quietly. "I'm sorry. I'm really scared of this alleyway. It overlooks the Dusk Factory, and I don't like it…"

Solana smiled at her. "That's okay; I've got it from her," she told the small girl. "You've been a big help, Jodi. Thank you."

Jodi bowed to her. "No problem, Miss Solana. See you later!" And she ran off.

Solana waved, then walked down the alleyway. Plusle started to shake. "Ah, don't worry, Plusle," she assured her partner. "We're only here to get Skitty, and then we'll get moving." Quickly she checked behind her to make sure all four Skittys were behind her. Luckily they were, not having a care in the world. Solana sighed with relief and turned the corner. The alley led to an area with a bench and a few trees. Solana could see the factory Jodi was talking about. She did have to admit that it looked rather gloomy, but ignored it. Then she noticed a man in a lab coat with a Machoke. The Machoke was punching the air, and when it let out a cry the researcher looked disgusted.

"Keep it down, you idiot!" he scolded. "What a useless Pokémon." Then he noticed Solana and quickly walked over. "Hey, what do you think you're doing here?" he asked her. "You can't be back here if you aren't authorized."

Solana narrowed her eyes. "I'm looking for a lost Skitty," she replied coldly. "I'll be out of here in no time." She quickly found it and captured it. "And by the way, that's no way to treat your Machoke."

The researcher sneered. "What I do with this Pokémon isn't any of your business," he told her. "Now scram!"

Solana walked back down the alleyway, then back to the Ranger Base, where Teresa and the wild Skitty were waiting. Quickly the woman counted them. "Ooh, my lovely-wubbly Skitty are all back with mumsy-wubsy!" She turned to Solana. "Mumsy-wumsy is very impressed! Thank you, sweetie!" Then she looked at her Skitty. "Ooh, my precious, precious Skitty! You mustn't give mumsy-wumsy a scare like that again, do you understand?" _Even though this apparently happens all the time_, Solana thought. "Now, let's go home!" She clapped, and all of the Skitty lined up. They all walked away, and Solana sighed.

"Plusle," she moaned. "Zap me the next time I even attempt to do something like that." Plusle folded her arms and nodded. "So, now we start walking again." The two walked around until a woman in a tan lab coat-like dress and purple dress shoes called to them.

"You're Solana, right?" the woman asked.

"That's me," the rookie replied.

The woman stuck out her hand. "My name is Helen. I'm one of Hastings assistants. Pleased to meet you."

Solana took Helen's hand and shook. "Pleased to meet you as well. Is there something you need?"

"Yeah. I need your help at the lab." She turned around and motioned the Ranger to follow.

When Solana heard lab she immediately thought of the Super Styler. She ran next to the assistant. "Does it have something to do with the Super Styler?" she asked.

Helen smiled sadly. "The professor told me about that," she said. "Unfortunately, no word has come in yet, and we're not making a new one. It's just a little chore I need help on."

"Oh," Solana said in disappointment. "I see."

"No worries, dear," Helen assured. "You'll help out eventually. The professor has faith in you." She entered the lab and showed Solana the stairs that led to the basement. "You see, I need to get something from down there, but it's pitch black," she explained. "It's impossible to find anything. When I asked Hastings for advice, he suggested you." She smiled warmly. "He told me that in the basement of the lighthouse, there are some Staryu living there that knows Flash. He said one of them could help."

Solana nodded. "Plusle, come on. We're going to the lighthouse." So Solana quickly made her way to the harbor. She went to the lighthouse and found some stairs that led to a door. "That must be the basement," she said to herself. She walked down the stairs and opened the door. She noticed a few Staryu walking around, and captured one. The other Staryu became frightened and jumped into the pool of water. Solana shrugged and walked back to the lab.

Helen adjusted her glasses. "Is that a Staryu?" she asked. "I haven't actually seen one before." She smiled. "Alright then, let's head into the basement." Solana led the way, and when the crew got to a point where the light from the first floor was dimming, she ordered Staryu to use Flash. The red core lit up, and Helen covered her eyes. "That's a bit TOO bright now," she stated.

"But now that means you'll be able to find what you're looking for," Solana replied as they reached the floor. Staryu shined its light on the shelves, and Helen began to dig through them.

"Ugh, not here," she mumbled. "And it's not there. I love the light, but there are so many papers here." She looked back at Solana. "I'm sorry, this might take a while."

Solana looked at Staryu. "Are you fine with staying here and helping Helen?" Staryu nodded and walked next to the assistant.

"Oh, thank you," she said, and went back to digging through the shelves. Solana said goodbye, but Helen was too preoccupied to respond, so Solana and Plusle left.

The sun was starting to set, and Solana wondered if she should go back to the Base. She shrugged. "Can't hurt," she said aloud. "I mean, patrol could go on forever if you wanted it to." She began to walk back, but noticed a certain blonde walk up the stairs.

"Oh, it's you," Aria stated dully. "And what do you suppose you're doing here?"

"Doing your job," Solana replied just as enthusiastic.

Aria stared blankly. "That's right. We're all investigating Go-Rock Squad because of your screw up."

Solana narrowed her eyes. "Whatever, you bitch." Solana had never used that word before. She usually went with the school ground kind of insults. Well, not that kiddy, but definitely not as offensive as calling someone a bitch. She was just glad she didn't completely lose her cool and yell it.

"What did you say?" Aria barked. "Take that back!"

"Only after you stop reminding me of what I did wrong!" Solana shot back. "I get it, I failed. I don't need to be reminded by you every time I see you."

Aria was about to say something when the two heard a cry come from Joy Clock Tower. "What was that?" Aria asked.

"It sounded like a Machoke," Solana responded.

"Then let's not waste any time." The two female Rangers ran up the stairs and found that Solana had been right.

"Machoke!" the Superpower Pokémon cried. It punched the tower, and the people watching in horror began to mutter amongst themselves.

"Why is it rampaging like that?" Aria asked herself. She grunted and whipped around. "Listen, I'll forgive you for what you said if you can capture that thing!"

Solana whipped out her Styler. "Keep a close eye, Aria," Solana stated. "This is how this rookie does things." She held out her Styler and yelled, "Capture on!" The disc shot out, and as the Machoke turned around, Solana began to guide the disc using her new free form motion.

"I didn't know that worked," Aria mumbled under her breath. "Solana, why aren't you using Plusle?" she shouted. "This would be a great opportunity to use Thunder Wave!"

Solana quickly swung the disc out of Machoke's punch. "Sure," she replied as she continued her capture. "And let's all die in the process. If I paralyze it, its Guts ability will activate, making it even stronger. In fact, this might even be impossible." She swung the disc away again. "Don't you know that?"

"How do you-?"

Solana snickered. "Guess it pays to live in city with a Fighting type Gym Leader then!" With one last swing the line closed on the rampaging Machoke. It blinked, swung its head from side to side, and then sighed. Solana walked up to it and patted its shoulder. "You calmed down?" The Machoke nodded. "Then you're free to go."

"Ma-choke!" it exclaimed before running off.

The people then began to cheer for the rookie's success. Aria sighed and smiled. "Not bad, rookie," she said to herself as she watched Solana wave to the crowd. But to Solana she said, "Meh, could have been better."

"Says the girl who wanted to activate Guts," Solana replied.

Aria rolled her eyes. "Still, I don't understand why the Machoke was rampaging."

Solana looked back at her. "Who knows. All that matters is that no one was hurt. To a Ranger, safety is the most important thing."

"Guess you're right," Aria admitted. She looked out towards the ocean. "Well, guess I've done all the investigating I can today. Let's head back to the Base." The two walked off, not noticing the researcher Solana saw earlier watching them.

"Tch. Damn that girl," he muttered. "She's the same snoop from earlier. And that stupid Machoke. It just left without even noticing me. To top it all off, it couldn't even wreck the tower. What a joke!" He grunted and headed back to the factory.

…

"Five Skitty?!" Lunick exclaimed. "That's even worse than Larry! And this happens all the time?"

"Apparently so," Solana replied. She had just eaten dinner, and decided to call Lunick to tell him how her day went.

Lunick sighed. "Still, you got it done," he said. "And it sounds like you made some new friends, just like I said."

Solana smiled. "Guess mumsy-wumsy did know best," she joked, using Teresa's cooing voice.

The two Rangers cracked up. "Mumsy-wumsy…" Lunick sighed, still chuckling. "I can't believe that."

Suddenly someone snatched Solana's Styler. Solana looked up and saw Aria holding it up to her ear. "Hey, Aria, give that back!" Solana shouted.

But the senior Ranger ignored her. "I'd like to inform you, Lunick, that your girlfriend called me a bitch today," she reported.

Solana didn't hear, but obviously whatever Lunick said made Aria form her hand into a fist. But she definitely heard the second part when Lunick shouted, "She's not my girlfriend!" Aria quickly pulled the Styler away, and everyone turned to the cold Ranger with curious looks. Solana blushed.

Aria pulled the Styler back to her ear. "So I now know," she mumbled. Then she handed the Styler back to its rightful owner. And Solana's co-worker did not sound too happy.

"You know what, I'm glad you called her a bitch!" Lunick fumed. "I've been wanting to call her that forever! She probably deserved it, like I told her. And to say something like that just…" He growled in frustration. The relationship comment was getting to him more than Solana. "The nerve of her. I just can't believe YOU were the one who said that. Man, I wish I could seen her face."

Solana smiled wickedly. "Then it's too bad you won't see this," she whispered. She walked over to the window and looked outside. "Hey, is that Teresa?" she said loudly. "I think it is. And it looks like she lost her Skitty again. Oh, and Aria, it looks like she's asking for you."

"WHAT?!" Aria screamed. She ran to the window and looked down at the street. "She better not be there! This better be a joke. I don't want to look for those little pieces of…" She started raging on and on, and when Solana walked away from the window she could see the amused faces of the Fall City Rangers.

"Geez, I didn't know she hated Teresa that badly," Lunick stated. "But why did you do that?"

"Sweet revenge," Solana told him. "Sweet, satisfying revenge."


	5. Chapter 4: A-Muk in the Sewers

Solana woke up the next morning to find every single Ranger had already begun their investigations. Everyone except Joel and one other guy named Owen. "Ah, Solana," Joel stated when she walked up. "Sorry I didn't catch you last night. I heard from the citizens, and all I heard was nothing but praise. I'm proud of you."

"Thank you, Joel," Solana replied.

Joel then went into his pocket and pulled out a badge with the number 3. "I think this deserves a promotion, don't you?"

"It's not like I have any say," Solana told him.

The Leader smiled and tossed her the badge. He watched her put it on and then said, "I know you did it yesterday, but I'd like you to patrol again. Owen here is going to help you this time."

Owen nodded at the newly promoted Ranger. He had short brown hair and gray eyes. "I'm not investigating today, so today I'm helping you anyway I can."

Solana looked at him, then at Joel. "I thought investigating was top priority," she brought up.

"It is," Joel admitted. "But after hearing that Teresa was one of your clients yesterday…" The Leader pushed up his glasses and sighed. "Hopefully it doesn't happen two days in a row."

Solana agreed to that. Suddenly a man in a green rubber suit, white gloves, and brown boots ran into the Base. "Joel, we have a problem," the man said, out of breath. "The aqueducts are suppose to be absolutely clean, but now they're overflowing with horrible sludge." He scrunched his face up. "I went to investigate, and I find that the place is crawling with Grimer! I hate to send anyone down there with the horrible stench, but please, we need help."

Joel looked to Owen and Solana. "If anything comes up with Teresa, it will have to wait," he decided. "Owen, Solana, get down into the waterworks and get rid of the Grimer."

The Ringtown Ranger unenthusiastically pumped her fist into the air. "I know, I'm excited too," Owen agreed. "I just LOVE the smell of Grimer."

"Sorry, you two," Joel said. "You're the only Rangers free. If Lind was available I would send him since he wouldn't mind but…" He sighed. "To make matters worse, I wouldn't know where to put the Grimer. They aren't normally in the Fiore region."

"That's what tripped me up," the man explained. "I don't know how they got there. But I do have a solution. There is a room specifically for the likes of Grimer. Currently many Koffing live there, but the Grimer can fit in there as well."

"Owen, you're bringing the Grimer to that room," Solana quickly said.

"And what gave you the authority to decide, rookie?" Owen shouted.

"Actually, I was going to say the same thing," Joel stated. Owen groaned. "Good luck, you two."

Owen mumbled something under his breath, and he and Solana followed the man to the entrance of the waterworks. "Down here," the man said, pointing at the manhole. "I'm really sorry, you two, but if the aqueducts aren't clean, all of the drinking water will be polluted, and I'm sure no one wants that. Well, good luck."

Solana climbed down first with Owen following reluctantly. The rookie could already smell something funky; it smelled like the black belts at the Gym, which was a smell Solana had quickly learned to ignore. But if it was already starting to smell like this, she couldn't imagine what the rest of the place smelled like. Suddenly her Styler buzzed. She flipped it open and found another text from Spenser with words of encouragement. Solana loved how her Leader checked up on her like this. Then the Styler buzzed once, and it turned out to be a text from Lunick. "Heard you get to trek through the Grimer infested waterworks," it read. "I'm envious. No, really, can't you read the enthusiasm? Have fun!" Solana stared at her screen, as if her annoyed yet amused face would somehow be transmitted through the screen and onto Lunick's.

"Is that from Lunick?" Owen asked, looking over her shoulder.

Solana covered up her screen. "What makes you say that?" she defended quickly. Then her Styler buzzed one more time. She looked at the new text. "Oh, this one's for you," she said as she handed Owen her Styler.

Owen read the text. "And tell Owen that if he says anything about a 'relationship' that I've given you permission to kick his ass," he read out. "Murph said something about you being a…4th…degree…black belt…" Slowly Owen handed back Solana her Styler. "I didn't say anything," he told her.

"That's what I thought," she replied and led him to another ladder that led into the actual waterworks. Immediately the horrible smell entered her nose. She tried very hard to hold back her breakfast as she walked on farther down. There were no words to describe how awful the stench was. It was like the first day of karate training all over again, only with more stink. _Well, toughen up! _Maylene's voice rang in her ears. _You're gonna be here a while, and if you can't take it, you might as well get out!_

"Pl-plu!" Plusle shouted and shook her head furiously. The shout was muffled because she was holding her paws over her nose and mouth. And the more her partner walked on the more she protested.

"I know, Plusle, but we just have to deal with it," Solana responded.

Owen looked sick. "This stink is downright awful!" he complained. "I need to hold my breath!"

"That won't help," Solana told him. "You need to breathe. Just suck it up and stop being such a girl. We have a job to do."

The Fall City Ranger looked at the girl as if she was crazy. "But with this stench?! This is nuts!" Plusle nodded, still holding her paws over her mouth and nose. But then she demonstrated exactly what Solana was saying. Needing to breath, the Cheering Pokémon finally uncovered her face and breathed in and out quickly to regain air.

"I know it stinks," Solana stated, "but we can't stop every time you would get winded, Owen. So just deal with it."

Owen finally agreed with her, and the two walked along the cement path for a while. Then Owen noticed a pile of green sludge. "What is this stuff?" he asked, disgusted. But he walked closer to investigate.

Solana felt like something was watching them. She quickly figured out what the sludge was there for, and instinctively jumped at Owen, pushing both of them out of the way just as a Grimer fell where Owen had been standing. "It's left over by the Grimer!" Solana explained. She whipped out her Styler and pointed it at the lone Grimer. "If we aren't careful they could fall right on top of us!"

"I'll be careful next time," Owen promised as Solana quickly captured the Grimer.

"How far away is that room with the Koffing?" Solana asked.

"Beats me," Owen said. Then he realized something and groaned. "Which means we'll be with these things even longer."

Solana began to walk on. "Then that's how it is," she replied. "Come on, let's move." So the two Rangers began to walk along the path leading farther into the waterworks, finding even more green sludge. This time two Grimer tried to attack them, but Solana had no problems capturing them. Once that was done, Owen was now handling three Grimer, and he was absolutely disgusted. "Owen, I'm going to tell you this only once more: deal with it. Otherwise, I'm giving myself permission."

Owen gulped. "I hear ya," he squeaked. They walked to the end of the pathway and found a ladder leading down. "Where do you suppose this leads to?" The Fall City Ranger asked.

"Oh, that leads to the sludge-storage area," someone piped up. Both Rangers looked up and noticed a man wearing the same uniform as the previous guy who had asked for help. "Ryan called me on the walkie-talkie. He said you two would be here soon."

"So, all the Koffing live here?" Solana asked.

The man nodded. "Two floors, in fact. Those Grimer will fit no problem."

"SWEET!" Owen shouted. "Alright, you three, to your new home!" The three Sludge Pokémon followed the eager Ranger down the ladder, and when Owen emerged, Solana swore he was a completely different person. He had on the widest grin, and happily exclaimed, "Okay, Solana, let's find the rest of them!"

Solana smiled and clenched her fists. "Now that's what I like to hear!" she shouted.

"Plu-sle!" Plusle exclaimed.

The man smiled as well. "Is there anything I can do?" he asked.

The two Rangers led him back to the green sludge. "The Grimer left this behind," Solana explained. "Do you mind cleaning it up?"

"No troubles, miss," he told her. "I'll ask for help from my co-workers. And thanks for the help."

He finished by telling the two where to go to keep going, and following his directions, they found themselves facing two more Grimer, which were easily captured. Owen ran back to where the storage room was, and promised to meet Solana quickly. "I'm holding you to that!" she called after him and continued walking. She turned the corner and found herself in front of two huge drainpipes.

"Hey, Solana!" Owen called. He ran next to her, then quickly caught his breath. "The guy told me he forgot to mention the drainpipes," he said. "He said we should take the right one."

"This one in front of us?" Solana asked, just to clarify. Owen nodded, and the two proceeded inside to find a familiar someone inside.

"Solana," Aria said dully. "What are you doing here?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing," Solana replied.

Owen looked at his coworker. "I thought only Solana and I were getting rid of the Grimer," he said.

"Oh please," Aria told him. "I would never take on a job so disgusting."

"So then what are you doing down here?" Solana asked.

"We got word that a Go-Rock member is hiding down here," Aria explained.

Solana got right in Aria's face. "Where?! Where is he?!"

"Solana, this has nothing to do with you," Aria snapped in disgust. "Now get back to playing janitor; it suits you well."

"How about you don the green rubber suit?!" Solana yelled. "I hear it's the latest style, and it would look good on you!"

The two women gave each other death stares, and Owen, feeling small, acted quickly and dragged Solana away. "The sooner we start moving, the sooner we can get out of here," he told her as she struggled. "Then we can get away from Aria, and everything will be fine and dandy."

Solana grumbled to herself, but began walking on her two feet and leading the way again. They exited the pipe, and after taking a detour through the storage room (it was divided into two sides), they found another green pile, this time with three Grimer ambushing them. Solana never had this many Pokémon to capture at once before, but it didn't take her long to capture them as well. "How many more do you think there are?" she asked.

"Wish I knew," Owen replied before quickly running back to drop the Grimer off. This time Solana waited since the storage room wasn't far off. He quickly came back, and the two proceed on forward. After a ways with no sludge, they found themselves in front of another drainpipe. "Okay," Owen said. "The guy said once we got here, we want to walk all the way through this pipe. There will be one to our left when we exit, and we take the first right, then a left. He says at that point we won't be far off from the entrance to this place."

"Meaning we would have searched everywhere at that point," Solana concluded. "Looks like we're almost done."

"Then let's move!" Owen exclaimed. The two Rangers ran into the pipe and followed the instructions of the worker. When they exited they found more green sludge. "Hopefully this is the last of it," the Fall City Ranger stated as three more Grimer appeared.

Solana quickly captured them and handed control over to Owen, who set off once again. The rookie decided to wait once more. "Plusle, you hanging in there?" she asked her partner.

"Plusle!" she replied with enthusiasm.

"That's good," Solana said.

"Here I am!" Owen called as he exited the pipe. He looked exhausted but very happy. "Now, time to get home and have a nice shower…" He sniffed the air and quickly covered his nose. "Okay, Solana, you can't ignore THAT!"

The smell entered her nose. For the first time since they entered she covered her nose. "Yeah, that's pretty bad!" she replied. This wasn't even something Maylene and everyone else would be able to handle. It was twice as powerful than before, and no amount of training was changing that. "Let's find out where it's coming from before we all pass out!" she suggested before leading Owen along the path.

That when they heard a scream. They ran faster, and on the other side of the water they saw Ryan, two Grimer, and one angry Muk. "I know there were Grimer, but I never saw any signs of a Muk going amok!" he shouted.

"This isn't the time for terrible puns!" Solana yelled. "Just inform Joel and the two of us will be right over!"

"R-right," he replied and climbed up the ladder. The Rangers quickly made their way up the stairs in front of them and jumped down the wall on the opposite side.

"Solana, think you can handle this?" Owen asked.

She breathed a bit harder. "I don't know!" she admitted. "I've never caught the boss and his minions in one go!"

"Well, I think you can," Owen told her. "You've been doing great so far."

Solana nodded, but felt a bit panicked. Still, she faced the Grimer and the Muk. She breathed in, then out. "Okay, here goes nothing!" She shot out the disc and began to lead it around the three Pokémon. But something very odd took place: the Muk just slipped underneath the line. Solana completed the capture, but was only able to get the Grimer. She grunted. "Why you, can't you stay-" Then the Muk used Sludge, and the attack would have hit Solana had Owen not pulled her down. The attack ended up hitting the wall behind them, and now Solana was really scared.

"Don't worry, Solana, you're doing fine," Owen reassured. "Just stop it in its tracks; it'll make things easier."

Solana collected herself and nodded. Muk had no abilities or type that prevented her use of Thunder Wave, so now was the perfect chance. "Okay Plusle, give this Muk a taste of you Thunder Wave!"

"Plusle!" the Pokémon cried. She let out a blue bolt of energy that hit Muk. Electricity began to emit from Muk's body, and Solana knew that it worked.

"Alright then, take two!" she shouted. Once again she shot the disc and began to guide it around the paralyzed Muk. For a while everything went smoothly, but then Muk shot off another Sludge attack, and Solana had to dodge it, causing the disc to be sent back to her. She growled. "It's paralyzed, but it still won't give up." She inserted the disc and shot it out one more time. "And as you see, you pile of slime, neither will I!" She began to loop around once more, and, though it was struggling, Muk tried to get off another Sludge attack. But to its shock (and Solana's, for that matter) it began to float! "But how…" Solana, still guiding the disc, turned her head to see Owen with a Drowzee.

He chuckled. "Thought a Psychic type would make things easier," he explained. "I found one as quick as I could and got back here."

Solana smiled. "Thanks, Owen," she said. She turned her attention back to the Muk. "As for you, let's finish this!" With it paralyzed and held by its weakness, the Muk was now a piece of cake, and in no time was captured. The Drowzee lowered the now confused Muk back to the ground as Solana announced, "Capture complete!"

"Nice job, Solana!" Owen congratulated.

"I wouldn't have been able to do it without your help," Solana told him.

"And the waterworks wouldn't be clean without both of you," someone said. The Rangers turned to find the guy from earlier, as well as a few other men. "Don't worry about these guys, we'll take them off your hands," he told them.

"So now can we go home and take a shower?" Owen asked.

Solana and the workers laughed. "Yes, yes we can," the Ringtown Ranger replied.

Suddenly Aria stormed up to the entrance. "Sounds like everyone's having fun," she fumed. "And what about me? I didn't a single Go-Rock Squad member, and my clothes smell terrible!" She pulled at her hair. "I'm not staying here another moment! I need a shower!"

"Then you've gotta beat me to it!" Solana shouted as she began to run.

"HEY! YOU are a guest at OUR Base!" Aria shouted after her. She began to run as well. "And I'm the senior Ranger! I should get priority! Solana, get back here!"

The men watched them go, then laughed before Owen soon went after them. But none of them realized that there was a Go-Rock Squad member watching them from the wall where Solana and Owen had jumped down. The grunt wasn't impressed. "We've gotta watch that girl," he mumbled. "She could be dangerous." Then he walked back through the waterworks to avoid getting caught.

…

One shower and a good night sleep later, Solana once again found the Base empty, except for Joel, who was talking with the operator. She stretched and walked up to him. "Good morning, Joel," she said. Plusle hopped onto her partner's shoulder and waved.

Joel smiled and waved back. "Morning," he replied, then yawned.

"Late night?" Solana asked.

The Leader nodded, rubbing his eyes. "We got extra information late last night that unfortunately went nowhere," the operator, Tina, explained. "Poor Leader barely got any sleep."

"I'm fine, Tina," Joel replied. "Don't worry." He yawned again. Then he handed Solana a new badge, one that had the number 4 on it. "You really are climbing up the ladder fast, kid," he said.

Solana replaced her old badge with the new one. "Is there anything to do today?" she asked. "Patrol, perhaps? Any more waterworks disasters? Or maybe…"

"Relax, Solana," Joel said, smiling. "Something's gonna come up eventually."

Just as he said that, Solana's Styler buzzed. She noticed this time it was a call. Once again without looking she picked it up. "Lunick, I don't want to hear anything about the waterworks, okay?" The person on the other end laughed. And he didn't sound like Lunick. "L-leader?!" she squeaked.

"Apparently you and Lunick talk more than I thought," Spenser replied. Then his voice sounded far away. "I didn't know you had that kind of free time, Lunick," he joked.

Solana heard someone shouting in the background. She blushed. "Leader, was there something you needed to tell me?" she asked, trying to change the subject.

Joel took Solana's Styler and pressed a button for the speaker. "Yes, Spenser, was there something you needed?" he asked. "I would think you would go through me before Solana unless it was something she really needed to hear."

Spenser cleared his throat. "Sorry, Joel," he said. "I couldn't resist. But I actually do have information for both of you. I was going to send a text, but there's quite a bit. I have unconfirmed reports that the Go-Rock Squad have started activity in Summerland."

"Then shouldn't Cameron be on top of that?" Solana asked, referring to the Leader of the Base there.

Joel looked at her. "Not to be rude," he told her, "but the only thing Cameron is usually on top of is a lounge chair."

Spenser laughed. "Been that way ever since we were on the same team," he commented. "And that's why I called Solana. I wanted to tell her personally to go to Summerland to investigate. If there's no mission she's already on, of course."

The Fall City Leader smiled. "See, told you something would come up."

"Now I want you to remember this, Solana," Spenser began. "This isn't a mission. This is simply intelligence gathering. Find out as much as you can with your own eyes and ears, understand?"

"Yes, sir!" Solana replied.

"And maybe when you're done I'll send Lunick over," Spenser said. "It'll be like a vacation!" He laughed.

"Okay, that's it!" Solana heard Lunick shout. Then she heard the two struggling. "Give me the Styler!" Lunick shouted.

"Lunick, this is no way to treat your Leader!" Spenser laughed.

"Give it! Give it!" Lunick yelled.

Solana sighed and hung up. "Now even somewhere as peaceful as Summerland is under the threat of the Go-Rock Squad…" Joel mumbled.

"Joel, what's the fastest way there?" Solana asked.

"The ferry, if it was running," Joel replied. "But for some strange reason, it isn't. The Dragonite Bus is another option, but you're still too low rank for that." The Leader paced around, trying to find an answer. Then an idea hit him. "Of course!" he exclaimed. "There's a guy named Kent who usually hangs out in the harbor that has a Lapras. If you explain the situation, he will probably let you ride her. In fact, I guarantee it. He's a reasonable and generous person."

"I'll go ask him, Joel," Solana responded.

Joel nodded. "Good answer. Now get moving."

"Yes, sir!" Solana exclaimed and, with Plusle on her shoulder, ran out of the Base.

Tina watched the Ranger go. "Leader, I'm surprised you didn't join Spenser in joking with those two," she told him.

"And have to deal with an angry Ranger and his 4th degree black belt friend?" Joel chuckled and pushed up his glasses. "If Spenser wants to get hurt, he's on his own this time."


	6. Chapter 5: Solany Side Up

Solana ran down to the harbor and stopped to take in the ocean breeze once more. Yeah she had a job to do, but it was just collecting information. Nothing too dire or serious. "You smell that, Plusle?" she asked her partner in a relaxed tone. "The lovely scent of the ocean. Isn't it amazing?"

"Plu!" Plusle agreed. Then her ears picked up something. She hopped off her partner's shoulder and ran off in the direction of the sound.

"Plusle?" Solana asked. "What wrong? Hey, wait!" She ran after her partner, and at the docks she saw the Cheering Pokémon staring to the left, and looking very distressed. Then, Solana began to hear someone shouting.

"Someone! Anyone! I need help!" the voice called. Solana and Plusle ran down and found a man at the end. He had curly brown hair and was wearing a blue shirt with white flowers on it, light brown shorts, flip-flops, and he had on sunglasses. And in the water, surrounded by Krabby, was a very scared-looking Lapras.

"Are you Kent?" Solana asked. "What's going on?"

The man looked at her. "I accidently stepped on a Krabby's foot," he explained. "It got mad, and I can't really blame it. But then its buddies show up, and instead of going after me, they go after my poor Lapras! She didn't do anything! Please help her!"

"Of course, sir," Solana replied. She whipped out her Styler and let the disc fly. She quickly captured the River Crab Pokémon, and after they calmed down, she let them roam off.

Kent ran up to his Lapras. "Are you okay, girl?" he asked. Lapras nodded and he sighed. "That's good. I'm sorry about that." Then he turned to Solana. "Thanks a bunch, Ranger! You're a life saver!"

"No problem," Solana replied.

The man chuckled and lifted his glasses a bit. "Anyway, yeah, I'm Kent, the Lapras Guy! Pleased to meet ya!"

"I'm Solana," she said.

"Cool," Kent stated. "So, what do you need me for, Solana?" Solana explained the situation at hand. "That's it?" Kent asked when she was done. "All you want to do is go to Summerland? That's nothing! Right, Lapras?"

"Lapras!" she cried.

Kent laughed. "Looks like Lapras really likes you! Alright, girl, don't let me down!"

Plusle jumped onto Solana's shoulder, and then Solana hopped onto the Transport Pokémon. "Thank you!" she exclaimed.

"Our pleasure!" Kent replied. "Good luck!" So Lapras began to swim away from the harbor and head southwest into the ocean. Solana checked the map on her Styler.

"It looks like we'll be out here for a while, Plusle," she told her partner. She smiled. "Good, we can get some relaxation." Plusle stretched and promptly fell asleep in the Ranger's lap. Solana leaned up against Lapras's neck, to which Lapras didn't mind. Solana thought she would fall asleep too, but she just couldn't. After about an hour on the open sea her Styler suddenly buzzed. It was a call. She opened it. "Hello?"

"Keep that as your opening line from now on," an angry Lunick said.

Solana sighed. "Well, it's not like anyone else calls me besides you," she pointed out.

"Always expect the unexpected!" he told her.

"And was this all you wanted to call me about?" she asked, half joking and half annoyed.

"No, of course not!" Lunick snapped. "That would be stupid! I'd be a terrible friend!"

"So then what did you call about?"

"To hear about how your waterworks mission went a-Muk," he replied, sounding like the Lunick Solana knew.

Solana rolled her eyes. "That pun is bad and you should feel bad," she told him. But she explained anyway. "And now I guess I'm part of investigations, finally," she concluded.

Lunick laughed. "Trust me, though, finding leads that lead nowhere and going on a wild goose chase isn't as crack up as it appears. I honestly would have wanted to run around in the waterworks yesterday."

"You sounded sarcastic in your text," Solana pointed out.

He sighed. "After yesterday's flop in investigations, I take back my sarcastic comment." Suddenly Solana heard someone else talking in the background. She heard some laughter, and Lunick growled. "No I'm not! Shut up!"

"You sure it isn't her?" Solana heard Lind's voice come up. "Come on, man, I wanna say hi." Then he chuckled. "What, I'm not gonna steal her. If she's your girlfriend, I'm not gonna try."

"Why does everyone think she's my girlfriend?!" Lunick yelled. "She's not my girlfriend!"

Solana sighed. "Well, have fun, Lunick," she said before she hung up. She looked at her Styler. She stared at it for a while, then she giggled. "I kind of want to see his facial reactions to all of this," she said aloud.

"Lap!" Lapras shouted. Solana gently picked up Plusle and turned around. What she saw left her speechless.

The town of Summerland was nothing but huts on wooden docks. The water was clear and cool, and the sun felt just right. Many Wingull were flying around, and swimming in the water were Luvdisc, Goldeen, and people with their Pokémon. The beach had the whitest and most beautiful sand Solana had ever seen, and along the shore were plenty of palm trees. Kids were building sand castles or playing in the shallow water. "So cool!" Solana was finally able to say. Lapras swam up to the dock farthest from shore, where Solana disembarked. Plusle slowly opened her eyes, and immediately sprung to life.

"Plu! Plusle-plu!" she shouted with excitement. She jumped out of Solana's arms and began to dance around.

Solana giggled. "Hey, is that your Lapras?" someone asked. Solana turned and found herself face to face with a man wearing a red cap, a red vest, tan shorts, and flip-flops.

"Oh, no," she replied. "This is someone else's. He letting me use her to travel between here and Fall City."

"Well, either way, I was wondering if I could look after her," he explained. "We don't get Rangers from the mainland often, but when they do show up, it's always business, which means you won't be able to look after Lapras."

"That would be very helpful," Solana said. "Thank you." She and Plusle walked down the dock when Solana received a text from Spenser.

"When you reach Summerland, go straight to Cameron and get all the info you can," it read. "I have already told Cameron you're on the way. I'm counting on you."

"Yes, sir," Solana said aloud. She walked down the dock some more and spotted the Base. It was kind of hard to miss, as it was the only building around that was two stories and made from steel. The duo walked up to the building and entered. Once again the Base looked exactly the same, but now the inside was red. The only people on the floor were the operator and two Rangers, who all turned when the door opened.

"Oh, that uniform," one of the Rangers said. He was tan, almost brown, and had very blonde hair, almost white. His eyes were blue and he wore a white tank top, black fingerless gloves, green pants, and black boots. "That's a Ringtown uniform, isn't it?" Solana nodded. "The name's Leilani. What brings you to Summerland?"

Solana was confused. "I thought Spenser called Cameron and told him I was coming," she said.

"Well, if he did, he didn't tell us," the other Ranger replied. He had tan skin and red hair and wore the same uniform as Leilani, except his tank top was green.

The Ringtown Ranger sighed. "Alright then, I'm here to investigate the Go-Rock Squad."

"The Go-Rock Squat?" Leilani asked, confused. "What is that? Like, a new dance move or something?"

Solana huffed. "Are you messing with me or are you really that hard of hearing? I said Go-Rock SQUAD."

Both men looked at each other, and then shook their heads. "Never heard of them," the other Ranger replied. Solana moaned. "Anyway, the name's Percy. Was it hard getting here?"

"No," Solana replied with little enthusiasm. "I just thought I would find something here. Especially since Spenser ordered me here and he's counting on me."

"Whoa, he ORDERED you?" Percy asked. "That sounds really strict."

Solana looked at them. "You mean you two don't get orders?"

"We do," Leilani explained. "But we can choose if we want to do them or not."

_Then what's the point of being a Ranger? _Solana thought. "So, where is Cameron?" she asked.

"Swimming with his Pelipper," Percy replied. "They went out first thing this morning." _My first job in investigations, and nothing has gone right_, Solana thought. "The thing is," Percy continued, "Summerland is so peaceful, so there's not much to do. But you do want to see him, so I'll get him. Just relax for a bit. Come on, Politoed!"

"Poli-toed," he replied and hopped after his partner.

Solana watched Percy and Politoed leave. She sighed and went to the small table to sit down. "Hey, you never told me your name," Leilani piped up as he joined her.

"Solana," she told him.

"Plusle!" Plusle shouted.

Leilani chuckled. "Sorry about the wait," he said. "When Leader goes swimming, he loses track of time." Leilani sighed but smiled. "He can be such a kid sometimes."

"And what's wrong with being a kid?" Solana heard. She looked and saw a man with long orange tied-back hair and blue eyes. He wore a black tank top (though it was obvious it had once been a t-shirt), blue wristbands, light green shorts, and black and orange water shoes. Around his neck he had a white towel. Like the other two Leaders, Solana instantly knew who he was from the newspapers, though he was mentioned less frequently. He stretched and laughed. "You missed a good swim, Leilani! The water was perfect!"

"You're Cameron, right?" Solana asked, getting up to shake hands. "I'm Solana from the Ringtown Base."

"Nice to meet you, young lady," Cameron replied, shaking her hand. "Yeah, I'm Cameron. Spenser called and said you'd be here. But there's just one thing…" He put his hands on the counter. "About your investigations, I don't know who sent you guys that report, but it's no where near true. That team, the Go-uh…"

"Go-Rock Squad," Solana filled in.

"Yes, them," Cameron said. "We haven't seen any of them around here."

Solana's face fell and Plusle's ears drooped. "Oh, I see," Solana replied sadly.

Cameron placed his hand on her shoulder. "Ah, come on, kid, don't look so down," he told her. "Investigations are boring; that isn't something you want to be apart of." Solana nodded slowly. She decided that it would be hard to make Cameron (or anyone else for that matter) truly understand why she wanted to investigate, so she stayed quiet.

"Hey, Leader," Leilani piped up. "Where's Percy?"

Cameron looked at him. "I thought he was here," he said.

"He went to get you," Solana explained.

"I didn't see him," the Leader admitted. "We must have just passed each other."

Solana felt that she wouldn't get much done here, so she decide she should head back to Fall City. But when she turned to leave, Percy flew through the doors, his face beet red and looking troubled. "T-t-t-trouble!" he managed to spit out. "My Politoed was taken by these weird-looking Rangers!"

"What?!" all of the other Rangers exclaimed.

"Yeah, they had this weird Styler!" Percy exclaimed. "It's not like one I've ever seen before! They just captured Politoed, and when I tried shouting at him, he just ignored me and followed them into Olive Jungle!"

Solana thought quickly. "What did these guys look like?" she asked.

"Well…" Percy thought about it. "They both wore white and red shirts, white pants, and black vest, and purple sunglasses. I mean, they were just weird."

"That's them!" Solana exclaimed. "That's the Go-Rock Squad!" _How lucky am I? _Solana thought happily. _Maybe I can even get that weird Styler. In fact, that might even be the Super Styler!_

Cameron chuckled. "Well, guess Spenser was right," he said. He smiled at Solana. "Think you can go get Percy's Politoed back? To be honest, you're probably the best Ranger around here, considering Spenser is your mentor."

"Sir, I would have begged for this if you gave it to someone else," she replied.

The Leader laughed. "You've got so much spirit as a Ranger! Tell you what, I'll even tell Spenser that this is now an official mission. Now, get moving!"

"Yes, sir!" Solana shouted. Plusle enthusiastically ran after her partner as the Ringtown Ranger ran of the Base. "Alright, Plusle, let's see if we can get Politoed and that Styler!" Solana exclaimed. Suddenly her Styler buzzed. Again it was a call. Heeding Lunick's words, she picked it up and said, "Hello?"

There was silence. "Looks like I was wrong," her Leader finally said. "I know how long you've waited for something like this, Solana, so make me proud."

"I promise I won't disappoint you!" Solana responded.

Spenser laughed. "Just remember that Politoed comes first," he told her. "I know you're eager, but the Super Styler can always wait."

"Of course, Spenser," the Ranger replied. She closed her Styler, let out a squeal, and began to run to the jungle. She just barely entered, though, when Percy ran up behind her.

"I'm sorry," he said sheepishly. "I'm just worried about Politoed. I'm sorry to drop this on your shoulders."

Solana smiled. "That's okay," she replied. "I've been waiting to get back at the Go-Rock Squad for a long time, anyway, so this allows me to kill two birds with one stone. Don't worry, I'll get Politoed back for sure." She held out her hand. "Feel like coming along?"

"Huh?" Percy asked in surprise. Then he shook his head. "Sorry, Olive Jungle gives me the creeps."

The Ringtown Ranger smiled again. "That's cool. Just wait, I'll be back before you notice." And she and Plusle began their trek through the jungle. Vines, thick brush, flowers of all sizes, and palm trees were everywhere. And there were some cliffs as well. If there weren't any vines growing from them, she would have been stuck. But there were, and she slowly and carefully climbed up. She walked a bit farther and found herself facing four very oddly dressed teens.

The one on the far left had silver hair that hung down, blue eyes, and was wearing a white trench coat with a fire-like pattern at the bottom, white pants, and white shoes. The guy next to him had bluish-silver hair that spilt in the middle and spiked back and blue eyes. He wore a black trench coat with a pink collar, a red undershirt, black pants, and black shoes. Next to him was a guy with short silver hair (but long enough to sort of spike) and also had blue eyes and probably wore the most normal clothes out of all of them: a navy blue trench coat, a purple shirt, jeans, and white shoes. On the far left was the only girl, who had long pink-silver hair and blue eyes, a purple and gold trench coat, a short sleeveless purple dress held by a white belt, black knee guards, long white socks, and purple slip-ons. All four of them stared at Solana with wide smiles. It was kind of creeping her out, but before she could say anything they all pulled out an instrument. From left to right, it was a bass, an electric guitar, a bongo, and a violin. "Pokémon a go-go!" they all shouted.

"What?" Solana asked in confusion.

But they ignored her. "Even if you're in a hurry, stop in your tracks!" the one with the bass sang, and began to play.

"Open your ears to our melodic attacks!" the girl sang next, and began to play her violin.

"The rhythm of rage pounds the ground!" the bongo player sang, adding his instrument to the track.

"Let the melody of ambition rise to the skies!" the last one sang, playing his electric guitar.

"If you don't know us," they all sang, "we'll cure your ignorance!"

"Billy!" (Guitar)

"Garret!" (Bass)

"Clyde!" (Bongo)

"Tiffany!" (Violin)

"The Go-Rock Squad's hot-prospect band of key-shaker-and-taker celebrities! A name heard once and never forgotten: the Go-Rock Quads!" They finished off their musical number, leaving Solana in a state of what just happened.

She rubbed her ears. "The tune of that song was all over the place," she said.

Billy shrugged. "We were a bit out of tune, you say? Doesn't matter, it's about the feeling! And boy was there feeling! So…" He studied Solana. "You're the Union's newest recruit, huh?"

"Yeah, I am," Solana said, rubbing her ears still. "What of it?"

"Could you hear us out?" Garret asked. Solana hadn't noticed it at first, but he had a slight English accent. "We've recently developed an interest in legendary Pokémon. But even for the most skilled Rangers, capturing one can be a pain in the ass."

Clyde chuckled. "If you had all the cash in the world, there's not much you can't do in this world. But legendary Pokémon…" He ruffled his hair. "Can't do much about them, even with money."

Solana grunted. "And the point you're trying to make? Spit it out, I can't listen to you jabber all day!"

Tiffany giggled. "With an ultimate Styler, that impossibility can become possible." She giggled again. "And we just wanted to inform you that such a Styler is going to be ready soon."

Solana's eyes opened wide. "The Super Styler…" she whispered. She clenched her fist. "Where is it?! Where's the Super Styler?!"

Garret chuckled and walked up to her. "Don't get so worked up. After all, you helped make it and the new ones our men are using possible." He grinned.

But Solana was angry, furious even. She grabbed Garret's arm, threw him over her shoulder and onto the ground, and stopped her punch right before she hit his nose. "Where…is…the…Super Styler?" she demanded through clenched teeth.

Garret wasn't the least bit intimidated. "Feisty, aren't we?" he chuckled. "Billy, could you help a brother out?" Billy wrapped his arms under hers and around her neck, holding her in a full nelson. Then he lifted her off the ground.

"Hey!" she shouted as she struggled. "Put me down! Let me go!"

The bassist picked himself up and wiped off the dust. "Alright, drop the bass. Let's go," he said. Billy snickered and dropped Solana on the ground before they all took off.

Solana rubbed her backside and jumped up. "Get back here!" she shouted after them. She quickly ran after them with Plusle right behind her. But she stopped when she saw Billy standing in the middle of the path.

"One more thing," the guitarist said, his back to her and his hands in his pockets. "We're about to put an end to the history of Rangers." He turned his head and sneered. "When we capture the legendary Pokémon, it'll give us the ability to do whatever we want. And like we said earlier, Rangers could never dream of capturing them. The citizens will lose faith in you guys, and when that comes you'll meet your end."

Solana growled. "That won't happen!" she shouted. "You'll see!" Billy shrugged and took off again, with Solana desperately trying to catch up. But the brush kept getting in her way, and soon he was nowhere to be found. "Damn it!" Solana whispered. "Plusle, where are you?"

Plusle jumped out of the brush and onto Solana's shoulder. "Plu-plu!" she cried. She looked worried.

"Don't worry, Plusle," Solana said. "They won't be able to capture the legendary Pokémon. And even if they do, the citizens would never lose faith in us." She sighed and wiped her forehead. "Come on, let's find Politoed." So the Ranger made her way through the brush and found herself in a clearing. A river ran through the middle, which had a bridge over it to get to the other side. Many Bug and Grass types were hanging around, but Solana wasn't interested in them. She was interested in the grunt that was walking north with Percy's Politoed. She began to run to the bridge so she could follow them, but was stopped by another grunt with three Wurmple.

"I heard the Quads gave you a performance," he said. "Did you like it?"

"Out of my way!" Solana demanded.

The grunt chuckled. "Garret was right, you are feisty. Fine, I'll let you pass, but only if my Wurmple don't tie you up first. And, if some how you do manage to win, there's more grunts in this jungle."

Solana whipped out her Styler. "Then too bad for them!" she shouted and captured the Wurmple with ease. All three of the Worm Pokémon squirmed off into the trees. "Now, let me pass!"

The grunt, scared by her tone, moved aside and she rushed past. She went up north and continued along the path. She encountered another grunt that had two Ekans, both of which were easy as well. He let her pass, and she found herself in a marshy area. She then heard someone scream in frustration. She looked to her right, and she saw the grunt from earlier next to a dead tree, and on the other side of the river was Politoed. "You, Politoed!" the grunt shouted. "Come back here! Obey your new master!" But Politoed just looked back at him and hopped down the path in front of it. The grunt let out another scream. "Stupid Styler is acting up!" he cried.

Solana watched him hit the tree in frustration. "Now if I could somehow get across the river without drawing his attention…" she said to herself.

"Plus," Plusle whispered and tapped Solana's shoulder. Solana looked at her. Then Plusle began to move her arms in a swimming motion.

"You think we should swim to the other side?" she asked. Plusle nodded. "It's worth a shot." So, very quietly, Solana made her way farther upstream and cautiously stepped in, with Plusle now on her head. It was a sudden drop into the water, but she didn't make too much noise, and though Plusle started to lose balance, she didn't fall off. Quietly Solana swam to the other side and climbed out. Now her clothes were wet, but in order to save Politoed as fast as she could, it was worth it. Cutting through the trees, she made her way back onto the path without the grunt noticing her. "Sweet," she said to herself when she looked back, then continued to follow Politoed. She found herself at a dead end clearing where Politoed was waiting on the other side. She was relieved to find it, but before she could run to get it the grunt suddenly appeared.

"Good thing I punched that tree enough times," he said aloud. "Politoed, get over here!"

"Hey, he's coming with me!" Solana shouted.

The grunt looked at her. "Sorry, but it only listens to me now," he told her.

"He's coming with me!" Solana shouted again. The two began to argue, which attracted the attention of Politoed and made it hop over. But that wasn't the only thing their shouting attracted. Out of nowhere, two Mankey and a Primeape jumped down to where the humans were standing, and they didn't look happy.

The grunt squeaked, grabbed Politoed, and began to run. "Good luck, Ranger!" he yelled as he hightailed it out of the clearing.

Normally, Solana would take the time to capture them. But she had a Politoed to get back, and she wasn't going to waste any time. So, running at full speed, she followed the grunt. "Hey you, get back here!" she yelled. At the same time she was scared out of her wits as she found out the three angry Pokémon were chasing her. "And the three of you, get away from me!" She got to the dead tree, which was now a bridge, and began to cross it. Once she got to the middle, she jumped on it, snapping it in two. She did fall into the water, but quickly swam out and ran to the small cliff to the north, leaving the three Fighting Pokémon behind. Solana climbed up the vines and quickly followed the path, leading to a much larger cliff and another grunt. He had two Paras and a Beautifly, which were all easy to capture. The grunt let her pass, and Solana began her long trek up the vines.

All along the cliff, many Gligar were floating around, being carried by the light breeze. Solana breathed in and out slowly and quietly. _I hope I don't disturb them_, she thought. She was already halfway up, and any slight push could lead her plummeting. _Just keep going, everything is okay_. Then she slipped. She gasped, but was able to quickly grab back on. She breathed a bit faster now. Her arms felt like wet noodles. But she had to keep going. Carefully, she climbed the rest of the way, and when she reached the top she kneeled down, caught her breath, and stretched her arms. She stood up and gasped. "Whoa," she breathed.

In front of her was a huge temple, all made out of stone. It looked very old, and moss and vines were going all around it. The steps, she noticed, were chipped and cracked, and then she noticed Politoed at the top of the stairs. It hopped inside, and Solana proceeded up the stairs to follow it. She walked inside, where she saw the grunt and Politoed. "I'll hand it to you, you're persistent," he said. "You've come all this way just to get Politoed back."

"And I expect him to be returned," Solana replied.

The grunt sneered. "Sorry, but it's mine now. And that means it's your enemy. So if you want it," he pointed at Solana, "try and take it." With that, Politoed jumped at her.

"Plusle, Thunder Wave!" the Ranger ordered. Plusle let out a blue bolt, and Politoed came crashing to the ground. Quickly she whipped out her Styler. "Capture on!" she shouted. With the disc now on the field, she began to capture Politoed. _Come on, Politoed, work with me! _she screamed in her head. _I know there's still some of you in there, and I know you want to be with Percy! _Politoed, still paralyzed, looked at Solana angrily. But it didn't move, almost as if it could read her thoughts. _Just stay down, this won't be much longer._

"Politoed, get up!" the grunt ordered. Politoed struggled to do so, and when he finally did Solana finished capturing he. The grunt clenched his fist. "No! That wasn't supposed to happen!"

Politoed happily hopped next to Solana. She smiled. "Sometimes things just don't go your way," she stated.

The grunt growled and ran out, shouting, "Don't you ever forget this!"

Solana watched him run down the steps, then looked at Politoed. "Well, ready to go home?"

"Poli-Politoed!" he exclaimed.

Solana walked out with Politoed and her own partner, but found a familiar face waiting for her.

"So, re-capturing a stolen Pokémon will return it to its 'happy-go-lucky' self," Billy said. "Guess there's a bug that needs fixing."

"Or maybe it's something you'll never fix," Solana told him.

Billy chuckled. "You think it's because Rangers connect to the Pokémon on an emotional level? I hope it's not, because that's absolutely ridiculous."

Solana narrowed her eyes. "Maybe to you," she said. "But not to us. And that's what's going to keep you from winning."

The guitarist looked back at her, shrugged, and walked off. This time, Solana just watched him go.

…

"P-Politoed!" Percy cried. Politoed jumped into his partner's arms, and Percy began to cry. "Oh, Politoed, I'm so glad you're safe!"

"Nice work, Solana," Cameron congratulated.

Solana smiled, but then turned serious. "Cameron, we need to call Spenser," she informed. "I have important news about Go-Rock Squad, and it can't wait."

All of the Summerland Rangers (the Leader and six others) looked at her. Then Cameron nodded. He typed into the computer. "Hopefully the other Rangers are in the Base," he said as he hit "Call". "From your face alone this looks intense." Luckily, Spenser was in the Base, and so were all of Solana's coworkers. She could even see Lunick, who stopped walking to look. "Hey Spenser," Cameron greeted happily. "How's everything?"

"I hope you didn't use the big screen just to say hi," Spenser sighed.

"He didn't," Solana said, and made her way in front of the screen. "Leader, I've got big news, and it isn't good."

Now everyone in the background stopped. Spenser narrowed his eyes. "Go on." So Solana explained everything she had learned while looking for Percy's Politoed, from the Go-Rock Squad's plan to their new Stylers. Solana's coworkers looked sick, with Spenser looking the worst. "And you're positive they said they're almost done?" Spenser asked.

"Yeah," Solana responded. "I don't know where it's being made, but I do know it's dangerous."

Spenser grunted. "This isn't good," he said. "Solana, I know it's been a long day, but I need you to go back to Fall City right away. Krokka Tunnel needs to be cleared of those rock falls, and then you are to come straight back here. But check up with Joel before you start that mission. Understood?"

"Yes, Leader," Solana replied. Spenser hung up, and Solana turned around to find that all of the Summerland Rangers looked sick, too.

"Cheer up, everyone!" Cameron explained. "There's no way we're going to let those goons stop us in helping others!" He flashed a number 5 badge and snickered. "With our newest Rank 5 Ranger, we'll make sure we stomp them before they stomp us! What do ya say, Solana?"

Solana took the badge, placed it on her shoulder, and shouted, "I say that sounds like a plan!" The rest of the Rangers took up a cry, with Percy being the loudest.

"Alright, everyone, I want all of you to check the jungle thoroughly," Cameron ordered. "If you find any grunts, catch them and question them. And that's an order! No slouching on this one, understand?"

"Sir, yes sir!" all of the Summerland Rangers replied and filed out the door.

"As for you, Solana, it's time you headed back, like Spenser said." Cameron smiled. "I can't thank you enough for your help."

"No problem, sir," she replied, and ran out back to where Lapras was waiting.


	7. Chapter 6: Leveling the Rocky Road

Back in the Fall City harbor, Solana waved goodbye to Lapras and Kent. She ran off to the Ranger Base and was surprised to see Professor Hastings in the Base. "It's good to see you again, Professor," Solana said.

Hastings tipped his hat, but he looked solemn. "Spenser told Joel and I everything about your report," he told her. He scratched his chin. "What worries me the most about the report are those Stylers they're using."

Joel entered deep thought. "They sound a lot like the Super Styler," he mumbled.

"That's because they are," Solana reported hauntingly. The men looked at her. "One of the Go-Rock Quads, Garret, told me it was the Super Styler, or something similar to it."

The professor clenched his fist around his cane. "That is definitely not good." He looked at Solana. "There's one thing I should mention: I'm afraid that the Pokémon might be hurt if they are forced to use their abilities over and over again."

"Like Pokémon Battles?" Solana asked.

"Worse," Joel informed. "Battles are natural and make a Pokémon stronger. This could drain a Pokémon of its energy. Permanently. That was the major flaw with the Super Styler."

Solana grunted. "However," the professor stated. "You said that when you captured the Pokémon, Solana, that they were released or returned to their owners. It could mean it's not perfected yet."

"Still, that's not something we can fall back on for long," Solana pointed out. "Tiffany said it'll be done soon."

Hastings nodded. "We mustn't waste time chit-chatting!" And he left in a hurry.

Joel chuckled. "As impatient as ever, professor," he muttered. Then he turned to Solana. "I assume Spenser told you about your new mission?" The Ranger nodded. "Good. I believe it would have been difficult for just one Ranger, so I sent Aria to help you."

Solana chagrined inwardly. The last person she wanted to work with was Aria, but she had no choice. "Yes, Joel," Solana replied.

The Leader pushed up his glasses. "Now, I don't know why there's tension between the two of you," he said, "but I want it to stop. That's why you're working together. I've told this to Aria as well, so don't think you're the only one getting the hot seat with this. Am I making myself clear?"

"Yes, sir," Solana replied again.

"Good," Joel said. "Now get moving." So, now not looking forward to her new mission at all, Solana exited the Base and made her way west to Krokka Tunnel. She knew where the first rock fall was, and after taking the corner she found Aria's Hariyama almost done with the final rock.

"Hariyama!" it cried and threw one more punch. The rock crumbled into rubble, and it relaxed and breathed out.

"Well, that's one clear," Aria said to herself. Then she turned and huffed. "Look, the two of us REALLY don't need to be working on this. There are three more, take Hariyama and knock yourself out." She began to walk past Solana, but the Ringtown Ranger took Aria's wrist and began to drag her further into the tunnel. "Hey, let go!"

"Joel said we're working together," Solana said. "And that's what we're going to do, even if it kills us."

"Fine," Aria sighed. She freed herself from Solana's grip, and the two ladies continued down the tunnel. They came up to the first rock fall Hastings and Solana had experienced.

"Alright Hariyama, Arm Thrust!" Solana ordered. Hariyama began to pound away at the rocks, and in no time they had been reduced to rubble. Hariyama, now used by both Rangers, walked off farther into the tunnel. "Do you know where more are?" Solana asked.

"Even if we find more, we can't do anything about them without Hariyama," Aria pointed out. "I thought you knew that."

"I do," Solana stated. "What I'm asking is if you know where more Hariyama are."

Aria blinked, then slumped over. "This way," she sighed, and under her breath she cursed herself for being the idiot. She led Solana up the path the Ringtown Ranger had used to reach the professor after the rock fall. But instead of taking the room that had the pool, Aria took the room before it, which led to a room filled with gray rocks, moss, and roots. But also, standing before the two Rangers, was a group of four that was a familiar to Solana, and an entirely new one for Aria. Once again they pulled out their instruments and shouted, "Pokémon a go-go!"

"What?" Aria asked in confusion, much like Solana had.

"You'll see," Solana mumbled.

"Even if you're in a hurry, stop in your tracks!" Garret sang.

"Open your ears to our melodic attacks!" Tiffany sang.

"The rhythm of rage pounds the ground!" Clyde sang.

"Let the melody of ambition rise to the skies!" Billy sang.

Once again, all four were now playing their instruments as they sang, "If you don't know us, we'll cure your ignorance!"

"Billy!"

"Garret!"

"Clyde!"

"Tiffany!"

"The Go-Rock Squad's hot-prospect band of key-shaker-and-taker celebrities! A name heard once and never forgotten: the Go-Rock Quads!" Finishing their motto, they smiled at Solana. Aria was absolutely speechless.

"Was that better for your tastes, dear?" Garret asked.

"Oh shut up," Solana grumbled.

"Anyway…" Billy began, "we heard something about the Union being active in this tunnel. So who is it we find? Our Summerland friend, going from finding lost Politoeds to cleaning up rocks." He grinned. "Kind of a down-grade, isn't it?"

Solana scratched her head in annoyance. "Somewhere in this cave," Garret piped up, "they say a legendary Pokémon sleeps. Have you heard any rumors about that, little lady?"

Aria, finally finding her words, snapped, "We haven't heard any rumors! And even if we did, we wouldn't tell them to you clowns!"

Tiffany took that comment to offense. "Clowns?! Us?! Have you looked in a mirror lately?"

Now it was Aria's turn to be upset. "Why you little fre-!"

"Calm down, Aria," Solana told her. Aria growled. "What's your point?" she then asked the Quads.

"My point was that it's just an exhilarating and exciting of tales," Garret replied. "Wouldn't you agree?"

Solana sneered. "I highly doubt that's the real point," she told him. "I bet it's something along the lines of how normal Rangers could never gain mastery over the legendary Pokémon."

"You do pay attention," Garret said, smiling. "I like that. Yes, that was the point I was mainly getting to. But you should also consider the fact that you Rangers should stick with what you CAN do, like playing hide-and-seek with some Politoed in a jungle."

Aria whipped out her Styler in frustration. "I'll have you know I'm a high ranked Ranger!" she shouted. "That stuff is for rookies like her!"

Garret looked genuinely surprised. "She's a rookie?" he asked. "Huh, I would have thought she was at a higher rank, considering she's the one with a level head."

"Why you-" Aria grumbled.

"Ouch!" Clyde said. "Big Bro, you really can put people down with the politest of words. And not only that, they were right on the money." Garret smiled, making Aria even more furious.

"He's just trying to get to you, Aria, calm down," Solana advised.

"I don't need YOUR advice!" Aria snapped.

Solana looked at her, shrugged, and turned her attention back to the Quads. "If all you wanted to do was taunt us, you can leave now," she told the group.

Tiffany giggled. "Alright, then. Hope you're looking forward to the reveal of our most powerful Stylers soon. Bye!" And the Quads walked off while Solana watched them go.

Aria was steaming. "They demoralized both of us and Rangers as a whole, and all you can do is watch them go?!" She stomped her foot. "And what was with their outfits? Especially that Tiffany's! It was hideous!"

"Aria, don't you understand that reaction is exactly what they're looking for?" Solana pointed out. "They want us to get mad and lose focus. They try acting calm, and they're pretty good at it." She looked down the tunnel, the way the Quads had gone. "Now, where are those Hariyama?"

Aria grunted, but began to lead the way again. She took the same path the Quads had, and while Aria now believed they would catch up to them, Solana knew they wouldn't find the Quads; the Quads would find them. Towards the end of the path, a grunt and his three Geodudes stopped them. "Hey, I'm looking for the legendary Pokémon!" he barked. "Stay outta my way!" And he sent his Pokémon to attack.

"Let me handle this," Aria said. "I need to blow off some steam." In no time at all the Fall City Ranger completed her capture, and the three Rock and Ground types floated away. Aria looked at the grunt with fire in her eyes.

He gulped. "Hey, don't get all serious on me," he whimpered before running away.

Aria, now calmer, looked back at Solana. "Let's keep moving," she stated. She led Solana south and then west, where another grunt, who was also looking for the legendary Pokémon, waited with three Snubbull. Aria let Solana capture them, and the young Ranger did so with ease. The grunt was also scared off by Aria's stare, and after he ran away, Aria led her acquaintance up north into a room that looked very similar to the room with the small pool. "They call it the Hariyama Dojo," Aria suddenly said, pointing to a small cave in the back. "There's at least five Hariyama in there, and they constantly spar each other to get stronger, or so I would assume."

"If there are two more rock falls left," Solana thought aloud, "we can each take one and clear those out and be done here."

Both girls nodded, then said dully, "The sooner the better." They walked into the dojo, where the Hariyama were sparring each other, just as Aria said they did. But one of them noticed the Rangers, and began to charge at them. Aria squeaked, but Solana just stood in a horse stance (which is used to keep someone stable from an attack) and held out her arms. The Hariyama ran into her, but she caught its big body and her feet began to skid backwards before she slowed it to a stop and held it there. The Hariyama was impressed, and backed down.

Solana relaxed and breathed out. "Now, we just need to borrow two of you for a very brief amount of time," she explained. The Hariyama nodded, and Solana captured the one that ran at her. Aria, shaking a bit, captured another one, and the four left to clear the last of the rocks. They first went back to the rock fall that had separated Solana and the professor, and since Solana had a little history with it, she ordered her Hariyama to destroy them. "They may not be living," she said as the Hariyama left, "but it's nice to take out my anger on one third of the original problem."

They walked south, going towards the Ringtown entrance to Krokka Tunnel, and found another grunt waiting for them, looking very exhausted and angry. "The legendary Pokémon hasn't shown up, it's getting late, I'm hungry…" He complained a while before turning to Solana and shouting, "So how about I take my frustration out on you!" He sent his Crawdaunt and Krabby after the young Ranger, but thanks to Plusle's Thunder Wave, Solana easily captured them. "Man, what a terrible day it's been," he complained once last time before running off.

Aria chuckled as the two Water Pokémon walked off. "He complains more than Lind," she commented.

"Is that saying a lot?" Solana asked.

"Definitely," she replied, smiling. "Come on, let's find that last rock fall." They traveled towards the entrance to Krokka Tunnel. They found the last one standing close to the Dugtrio statue, and Aria ordered her Hariyama to destroy it. It walked off, and both Rangers sighed in relief. "Well, now Krokka Tunnel is open for traffic again," the Fall City Ranger said with a hint of satisfaction.

"Yep," Solana said. "Now I can actually go back to Ringtown. It'll be nice to be at home base for once." Suddenly her Styler buzzed. She flipped it open and noticed it was a text from Spenser.

"I've heard that Go-Rock Squad has been active in Krokka Tunnel," she read aloud. "I will get there as soon as possible. Meet me at the Dugtrio statue by the Ringtown entrance."

"So Spenser's on his way," Aria said as Solana closed her Styler. "I wasn't planning on sticking around, but I guess since this is our mission, he'll want to here from both of us."

Solana nodded. They were already near the statue, so with everything clear, they could just chill for a bit. Well, that would've been the plan, until a very angry Tiffany suddenly stomped by. "Oh, I've so had it!" she shouted. "There is no legendary Pokémon to be found! And if that wasn't bad enough, my jerk brothers had to leave me behind! The next time I see them I'll…" She noticed Solana and Aria. "Oh, and if this trek couldn't get any worse!" she cried. "You two! Why can't you just be good little girls and let our grunts finish their work instead of stomping on them all the time?!"

"Cause they're in our way," Solana stated.

"Or maybe because they work for a fashion eyesore like you," Aria said dully.

If Tiffany wasn't already furious, she certainly was now. "And who made you the fashion police?!" she exclaimed. "I've had it up to here with your comments about my clothes! At least mine aren't boring!"

"It's suppose to functional, not fashionable," Aria stated, now taking Solana's advice to heart. "Besides, I like it. It's better than blue jackets, that's for sure."

"Then how about I show you something that functional, fashionable, and a ton of fun!" She whipped out her violin and played a few cords. A Camerupt stormed into the room, leaving both Ranger stunned. "You surprised? Good, then I'll explain." She held up her violin. "You see, this is no ordinary instrument. This baby is also a Styler. Our boss made it special for us Quads. Yeah, all of our instruments are that way. Through musical tension and groove, I have the power to control Pokémon and still play my violin. Ain't it cool?" Then she gasped. "Whoops, probably let too much info slide. Oh well, ready to have some fun?"

Solana stepped forward and held out her Styler. "Whenever you're ready, princess," she said.

Tiffany smirked. "Cool! Or in this case, hot! Camerupt, scorch that Ranger!" She played once more on her violin, and immediately Camerupt used Flamethrower. Both Rangers jumped out of the way.

"Solana, don't worry about this!" Aria shouted. "Leave it to me!"

But Solana ignored her and held up her Styler again. "I don't care if you think I'm still a rookie and I can't handle this job!" she snapped. "I don't want you to look down at me anymore!" Aria blinked. Solana then sent her disc flying and proceeded to capture.

"Alright, Solana, but I can-"

"I can handle this!" Solana assured. She let the disc whip around Camerupt, but just when it looked like Solana won, Camerupt used Lava Plume, knocking Solana back, along with the disc, which had taken some damage.

Aria grunted. "I know you can, Solana," she told her. "But I can help. That's what I was going to say." She looked and gasped as Camerupt was about to unleashed another Flamethrower. Solana picked up her disc and the two dodged again. "Listen, Plusle can't do anything because Camerupt is half Ground," Aria explained. "But I know someone who can help big time."

"And who might that be?" Solana asked as she jumped out of the way of a Take Down.

Aria smiled, then whistled. The Camerupt stopped, and all three girls looked down the east end of the tunnel. "You know, I don't have time to waste just sitting around," Tiffany piped up.

"Oh, don't worry," Aria said. "She'll be here in no time."

"Who?" Solana asked.

"A very special someone," the Fall City Ranger responded. Then she smirked. "And I do believe that's her. Good. Now, use Bubblebeam!"

"Who are you command-" But Tiffany didn't get to finish as her Camerupt was hit and sent flying by a plethora of bubbles. "Camerupt!" she shouted.

"Azu, azu!" something sang. Solana then finally saw an Azumarill bounce happily along the path. She hopped right in front of Aria. "Azumarill!" she exclaimed.

"That's…" Solana breathed.

"My partner," Aria commented. "She can hear me from just about anywhere. She was actually waiting for me in that small pool, so she wasn't too far off." She turned and smiled at Solana. "So, are you going to capture that Camerupt? We'll have your back."

Solana smiled and nodded. "Alright, here goes…" She placed her disc back in and shouted, "Capture on!" Once again the disc went flying around a now injured Camerupt. It struggled to stand up as the disc continued to circle.

Tiffany stomped the ground. "Come on, Camerupt!" she shouted. "Be a man and stand up!" She played a few chords, and suddenly Camerupt was filled with energy. It stood up and roared, and was now getting ready to fire off another Flamethrower.

"Oh, I don't think so!" Aria shouted. "Azumarill, Bubblebeam once more!" Azumarill jumped up and shot another string of hard-hitting bubbles, making Camerupt crumple to its knees.

"Thanks for not just aiming straight," Solana said as she continued to circle.

"I'm not that impulsive," Aria replied.

Tiffany looked like she was about to pull her hair out. "Camerupt, stop standing around!" She went to play her violin once more, but Solana made the final rounds, and Camerupt was captured. It blinked, looked around, and then marched off. Tiffany watched it go with a face of disbelief. "You…you're pretty good," she murmured to Solana. "Why don't you join us?"

"Sorry, I don't ally myself with criminals," Solana told her.

The violinist looked annoyed, but then she saw someone coming up behind Solana. "Whoops, gotta scoot," she said, and ran back towards Fall City.

"Solana," she heard Spenser call. She turned to find her Leader, out of breath. "I heard a bunch of commotion. Is everything alright?"

Both female Rangers looked at each other, then back at the Leader and smiled. "Everything is under control," Solana informed.

Spenser sighed. "Well, that's good," he said. "So, anything interesting to report?" Aria took up the report this time, ending with the capture Solana had just finished. Spenser nodded.

"Of course, I wouldn't have been able to do it without Aria and Azumarill," Solana told him. Aria smiled.

Spenser did as well. "So, they couldn't find any legendaries here," he repeated. "Well, that's going to hold them up for a while, I hope. Alright, Solana, ready to head back home?"

Solana nodded eagerly. "I should head back to Fall City," Aria said. "You did good, Solana." She and Azumarill then walked back towards their city.

Spenser laughed. "Now I hope you two can remain friends from now on," he said. "Or at least be nicer to each other."

"Yeah," Solana replied, and the two Rangers exited Krokka Tunnel.

"Hey Solana!" Solana heard Lunick shout. She turned and saw her friend waiting for them at the entrance with a big smile. Minun and Plusle shouted and waved to each other. "It's been a long time since I've seen you in person!"

Spenser smiled mischievously. "But not a long time since you've talked," he joked.

"Stop it!" Lunick shouted. "Anyway, if you guys are heading back to Ringtown, I'll tag along. I want to hear all about today."

"How about over dinner?" Solana suggested. "My stomach is begging for food right now."

"Sounds good!" Spenser agreed. "I think everyone back at the Base is hungry."

"Please stop mentioning food," Lunick groaned. "I was hoping my stomach wouldn't growl until we got back."

Solana and Spenser laughed, and all three ran back home.


	8. Chapter 7: It'll Be Easy, They Said

Solana and Plusle walked out of the bedroom and found it very bizarre to be in the Ringtown Base. "Morning, Miss Rank Number 6," Piper, a redhead girl, said as she walked out.

"Morning," Solana responded and stretched. Spenser had awarded Solana her new rank the night before, and after that all of the Rangers had dinner. Solana had eaten with Lunick and Murph, and because Murph hadn't heard about her patrol or the waterworks, she told those stories to him, along with the day's events.

Piper smiled. "Spenser's letting us all relax today," she stated. "He thinks we've all been working really hard lately, especially you."

"Ah, I haven't done anymore than you guys," Solana humbled.

"Nonsense," Piper replied. "For someone who just started, you've been here, there, and everywhere. It's certainly been more of a rollercoaster than when I started out."

Solana grinned. "Well, I appreciate the compliments," she said.

Lunick and Minun then emerged from the boys' bedroom. They both yawned. "Morning, ladies," he said. Minun waved slowly.

Both girls smiled. "Morning, Lunick," they replied. 

"So, what's our time-waster today?" he asked as he walked over to them.

Piper giggled. "Whatever you want," she informed. "As long as it's in Ringtown. Spenser's orders."

"SWEET!" Lunick shouted. "Man, I have been looking forward to a day of no investigations!"

The redhead giggled again. "You can spend the whole day with Solana, if you want," she said.

"Why does everyone say things like that?!" Lunick defended. "She's not my girlfriend!"

Solana laughed. "Well, I'm going to re-familiarize myself with Ringtown," she stated. "I think I know Fall City better."

Piper nodded. "Sounds like a good idea," she said. "Lunick, you can help her."

"I think she's a big girl," Lunick replied, folding his arms. Minun laughed.

"Alright, then," Solana said. "See you guys later." She walked to the elevator.

"Have fun!" Piper called after her. Lunick was still acting grumpy, but he looked her way as the doors closed.

The elevator stopped on the bottom floor, and Solana exited. "I'll assume Piper told you it's a relaxation day," Spenser said as she walked past.

"But only inside Ringtown," Solana finished. "I plan on getting use to Ringtown again."

Spenser nodded. "I'm glad you're thinking ahead," he said. "Have fun."

"Thanks!" Solana shouted as she exited the Base. She hadn't noticed how mild Ringtown was compared to the bustling Fall City or the tropics of Summerland. It was a perfect balance, and Solana couldn't have asked for a more perfect day. She began to talk with the citizens of the town, and she even met up with Larry and his Tailow again, and met his daughter. She played with some of the younger kids and told the seniors of Veilstone and Fall City. Suddenly, Lunick appeared behind her.

"Hey," he said as she finished talking to the seniors.

Solana smiled. "I thought you said I was a big girl," she stated.

Lunick's face turned red. "That's not why I'm out here," he defended. "Jeez, I wanna walk around, too. And while I'm doing that, I can't say hi to my friend." He put his hands behind his head and looked up and away.

"Well, I was getting lonely just walking around by myself," Solana told him.

Lunick looked back at her. "What about Plusle?" he asked.

She giggled. "Pokémon are nice, but I want to walk with humans, too," she said.

"Plusle!" the Cheering Pokémon exclaimed happily.

"Minun!" Lunick's partner exclaimed as well.

Lunick looked at all three of them, then sighed. "Fine, I'll walk with you," he gave in.

"Great!" Solana exclaimed and walked towards the entrance to town. Lunick smiled to himself and followed after her.

"You ever heard of the Capture Challenge?" Lunick asked her.

Solana nodded. "I've heard Joel is the one with the highest score here," she said.

Lunick laughed. "That was a long time ago! I bet I can top it!"

"You out to prove your masculinity?" Solana joked.

He laughed again. "Tell you what," he said, becoming cocky. "I'll go first, and then you can try and beat my score!"

Solana grinned. "Are there any prizes?"

Lunick thought, and then grinned as well. "Winner decides a punishment," he concluded. "So think of one, even though there's no way you'll beat me."

"Alright, Mister Macho," Solana told him as they walked up to the entrance of the Capture Challenge. "Let's see what you've got."

There was a man with red hair and sunglasses wearing a yellow suit at the entrance. "Yo, yo, yo!" he exclaimed as the Rangers approached. "They call me MC Fielder! Solana, right little miss?" He laughed. "Maybe you're face ain't one we see, but your name is well known! And you're Lunick, huh? So, both of you want to take part in this Capture Challenge?" They nodded. "Alright then, the rules! No Poké Assists, you got that? And you can only capture while you're riding this Doduo! You have 3 minutes, and that's it! Now the high score on this course is 5000 points! So, who's up first?"

"Watch and learn, Solana," Lunick snickered as he hopped on Doduo. The Twin Bird Pokémon ran onto the Capture Field. MC Fielder led Solana to a lookout platform, and a few other people joined them.

"Are you ready?" MC Fielder shouted. Lunick gave a thumbs-up. "Then, Capture Time! Go!" The 3 minutes started, and Lunick guided the Doduo around the field. For 3 minutes Lunick captured Pokémon like there was no tomorrow. He did pretty well, scoring 4800 points. He hadn't beaten the high score, but he left Solana with a big challenge. "You're up!" MC Fielder told Solana as the crowd cheered for Lunick, who was disembarking. "You ready?"

Solana nodded and ran over to the entrance. Lunick met with her. "Let's see how you do," Lunick told her.

She winked and ran to Doduo. As she jumped on, she became a bit nervous, as she had never been on a Doduo before. But she rode him up to the start and MC Fielder shout, "Are you ready?" With a shaky hand, she gave him a thumbs-up. Riding the Doduo just up to the start was nerve-racking. But she wasn't about to chicken out. "Then, Capture Time!" she heard. "Go!"

Solana actually started out really good. She captured two Tauros, a Spearow, an Abra twice, a Spoink, and a Kecleon. Though she didn't know it, at that point she had 4400 points, just 400 away from Lunick. And she still had a full minute left. "She might actually beat Joel's score," the MC commented to Lunick.

"Let's see," Lunick stated.

Solana went after another Tauros, but when she got close to it Doduo suddenly went wild. "Doduo, chill out!" Solana cried. But Doduo wouldn't listen, and when it made a sharp turn Solana fell to the ground with a heavy _THUD _right on her right shoulder.

The crowd gasped. Plusle and Minun began to freak out. "Solana!" Lunick yelled and jumped off the platform. He landed in the thick grass and ran over to the fallen Ranger as fast as he could and kneeled down beside her. "Solana, are you alright?" he asked.

Solana slowly picked herself up, her left hand over her right shoulder. "Ah, this is nothing," she said. "Maylene has put me through quite the list of injuries." She chuckled and stood up, but when she moved her shoulder she bent over and breathed in through clenched teeth.

Lunick looked at her shoulder. "It looks like it popped out of its socket," he concluded. "Here, I can get it back in." Gently he placed his hand on her shoulder.

"A-are you sure you can do this?" Solana asked nervously.

He smiled. "Spenser, Marty, and Walker have popped their shoulders out more than once," he explained. "I'm pretty much an expert now." He pushed on her shoulder quickly, and while Solana did let out a tiny squeak, her shoulder was now back in place, though it did still hurt a bit.

"Thanks, Lunick," she said as she slowly rotated her shoulder. Lunick smiled and the two walked off the field.

MC Fielder met them as they approached the entrance. "I'm so sorry, Solana," the MC said quickly. "Doduo doesn't usually act like that. My apologizes."

Solana shook her head. "I got really scared towards the end," she confessed. "It must have sensed my fear, and freaked out."

"Why would you be scared?" MC Fielder asked. "You were doing amazing! You had 4400 points!"

"I…I was nervous when I started," Solana said quietly. "Doing that good just kind of scared me, I guess."

Lunick smiled. "Well, you did good. You ready to head back?"

"Wait, what about my punishment?" Solana brought up. "You won, so what happens?"

"Ah, forget it!" Lunick told her. "Come on, let's go."

"Come back and try again anytime!" MC Fielder called after them.

…

"My shoulder is freezing!" Solana complained the next morning.

"You did leave the ice pack on all night," Marty pointed out. "Piper told me. But it does help make your shoulder feel better."

Solana mumbled and rotated her shoulder again. It did feel better than yesterday, but now it was cold to the bone and it was still a bit sore, which was terrible since Solana was right-handed. She sighed. "I'm gonna check if Leader needs anything," she said aloud and walked to the elevator with a well-rested Plusle bouncing happily behind her.

"Ah, morning, Solana," Spenser stated as she exited. "Your shoulder feeling better?"

"A little," she reported. "But it's COLD!"

Lunick laughed. "Better than in complete pain," he said. Solana mumbled again. "Well, I'm off to Summerland. If we both end up there, let's hit the field together!" And he and Minun left.

"And he says he doesn't like you," Spenser joked.

"You know you're just adding fuel to his fire when you say things like that," Solana informed her Leader.

Spenser laughed. "He knows he can't hurt me!"

"Why, cause you're his boss?"

"And his older brother."

"You and Lunick are related?!"

Her Leader laughed again. "I'm only 24. Lunick's only 9 years younger than me," Spenser said. "But enough about family relations. I have a mission for you. Compared to your last two, it probably won't be as eventful, but I figured I'd give you a break. It'll be pretty easy."

Solana frowned. "Seriously, my shoulder is fine," she defended. "The Pokémon Center had to start doubling as a hospital because of all of the broken bones I suffered."

Spenser grinned. "I know, but still I want to let it recover. Capturing Pokémon and doing crazy stunts won't help it any. Anyway, we've been getting reports of a senior citizen wandering lost deep in Lyra Forest. I want you to escort him out safely." He noticed the annoyed look on Solana's face. "Just do it Solana," he told her. "It probably won't take long, and then you can take on more fun missions."

"Yes, Leader," Solana replied. "Ready, Plusle?"

"Plus-le!" she cried. So the two walked out of Ringtown and found Lunick just standing around.

"Hey," he said as they approached. "I felt like waiting around for you."

Solana sighed but smiled. "It's like I told your brother, you're only adding fuel to the fire when you do things like this."

Lunick seemed to turn to stone. "He told you what?!"

"I'd be happy that my brother is a Leader," Solana stated as she walked past a now frozen Lunick. "Anyway, shouldn't you be going to Summerland?"

"Well, I don't have to be there for a while," he explained. "Where are you heading?"

"Into the deep part of Lyra Forest," she said as she rotated her shoulder once more. "Some old man got lost, and I have to help him out."

Lunick grinned. "Then I'll go with you for a while," he decided. "We haven't really worked a job together since your rookie mission. Come on, Solana."

She looked back at him and smiled slyly. "Is this a date?" she joked. Lunick became flustered. "Oh, and I don't think it would be wise to hurt me, since not only would you be scolded by Spenser, but also possibly your mom."

Lunick looked like he was about to cry. "I'm just glad he hasn't told anyone else that," he moaned. The two began to walk towards the entrance to the deeper part of the forest, which was separated from the main area by a river. But before they reached the bridge separating the two areas, a man in a business suit walked up to them.

"Excuse me Rangers," he said. "Have you seen a little girl with two Jigglypuff around here? She's my daughter. I don't think she's gotten into any trouble, but I can't help but worry about her."

Solana looked at Lunick, then shook her head. "Sorry, sir," Lunick told him. "We haven't seen anyone out here but you."

The man looked a little worried, but other than that he was pretty calm about the whole thing. "If you find her, can you tell her daddy's waiting out here?" he asked. "She's probably playing hide-and-seek with her Jigglypuff and lost track of time."

"No problem," Solana said. The two Rangers then proceeded over the bridge. "First an old man, now a little girl. What do you think an old man was doing out here anyway?" Solana asked when she began to notice the bushes and trees getting thicker. "I mean, I can understand a kid since they get interested in things really easily, but…"

Her co-worker shrugged. "Maybe he didn't pay attention and walked over the bridge when he meant to go into town," he suggested. "Or maybe because there aren't enough Rangers to guard this place and warn people thanks to the Go-Rock Squad. I dunno, your guess is as good as mine. Though it is kind of bad that he got lost out here. They call this part of the forest 'Labyrinth Grove" because it's so confusing."

"Now I wonder how I'M going to get out," Solana moaned.

"The map on you Styler, of course," Lunick told her. "Here, let me look at it." He opened it up, typed in something, and then handed it back. "See that red dot? When you start heading out, that dot is on the bridge. You'll be fine."

Solana smiled, and then she heard "Jiggly!". She noticed a Jigglypuff standing in front of them, and then flew off deeper in.

"That must be one of the girl's Jigglypuff!" Solana exclaimed.

"I think it wants to show the way!" Lunick concluded. "Come on, let's follow it!" The Rangers chased after the Jigglypuff, which led them to a crying girl. "Hey, what's wrong?" Lunick asked her in a soothing tone.

The girl sniffed. "M-my Jigglypuff ran into the dark part of the f-forest," she whimpered. "I had two, but now there's one, my daddy's not here, it's d-dark…" And she bursted into tears.

"Hey, it's okay," Solana said sympathetically. "We'll find your Jigglypuff for you. And your daddy is waiting for you just outside."

She wiped her tears. "R-really?" Solana nodded and smiled. The girl's face lit up. "Yay!" she cheered. "Thank you, Rangers!"

"Solana, I'll run and get that Jigglypuff," Lunick offered. Solana gave him the evil eye. "I know, your shoulder's fine, but I just want it to recover, and capturing Pokémon isn't going to help."

She sighed. "You and your brother sound so much alike, it's crazy," she stated.

"Just relax, I won't be long," he assured. Solana smiled and gave in.

The girl smiled, then pointed at Lunick. "He's a nice boyfriend, isn't he?" she stated.

Lunick blushed, but Solana smiled at her. "Yes, he's a very nice friend," she told her. Her co-worker's face turned even more red, and he whipped around and began looking for the Jigglypuff.

So while Lunick went searching for the Balloon Pokémon, Solana, the little girl Kat, her Jigglypuff, and Plusle began to play games to pass the time. Solana had fun laughing and playing with her, and it seemed like no time had passed when Lunick and Minun came back with the other Jigglypuff. Kat squealed. "It's my Jigglypuff! My Jigglypuff!" She laughed and hugged it. She looked up at Lunick. "Thank you, Ranger boy!"

"No problem," he said. "Now, my friend here has a mission to take care of. Would you like me to escort you back, little lady?"

Kat nodded. "But…there's someone else lost in here. An old man. He went…" She thought about it, and then pointed west. "That way. He went that way. Can he go home?"

Solana smiled. "That's my mission," she said.

Kat looked at her, then down at the ground, looking a little scared. "He was mumbling to himself. And then when he saw my Jigglypuff, he yelled in this big, scary voice 'Get out of the way!'. That's when Jigglypuff got scared and ran off. Then that man laughed." She tried replicating it, sounding somewhat like a super villain for a morning cartoon. She shook her head. "I don't like that lost old man."

Lunick and Solana looked at each other. Then Lunick shrugged and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, I would go with you, but I do have get to Summerland in about…" He looked at his Styler. His eyes grew wide and he mouthed, "Shit!" "Sorry, now I've really got to run!"

"Bye, Ranger girl!" Kat called as she, Lunick, Minun, and the two Jigglypuff ran off.

Solana watched them go. "Bye," she said quietly. Then she looked down at Plusle. "Suddenly I'm really not looking forward to this escort," she told her. "I mean, I wasn't too happy with the idea before, but now…" Plusle nodded in agreement, and the two walked off in the direction Kat had pointed. Just as she passed a small shrine, he Styler buzzed.

"I've received more information on the old man," the text from Spenser read. "Apparently he keeps getting chased by Weepinbell and spit out all over the place. Keep that in mind while you escort him out. I'm counting on you."

"As if I needed another reason to hate this mission," Solana moaned as she closed her Styler. "Come on, Plusle, on my shoulder," she said. "I don't wanna lose you." Plusle jumped on without a second thought, and the Ranger continued on. She soon learned why the place was called Labyrinth Grove. She got so lost not only did she lose what was north and what was east, but now she had a major headache. And she constantly found herself running into Weepinbell- and constantly running away from them. After what seemed like hours she finally found a small cliff, and a few feet away from the bottom she saw an old man with short silver hair wearing a purple trench coat with white cuffs, purple pants, and white shoes. Solana jumped down and saw that he was mumbling to himself, sounding very frustrated. And she was only able to pick up certain words.

"…infernal place…legendary Pokémon…Hastings…" Solana walked up to him and turned around. He jumped, startled. "Don't startle me like that!" he scolded. "You should know better than to sneak up on someone."

Solana flinched. His voice, though somewhat quiet, was very demanding. "I'm terribly sorry, sir," she apologized quickly. "My name is Solana. I've been asked to escort you out of the forest."

The man grunted. "A Ranger from Ringtown, I see," he said. Solana flinched again. "I expected you to get here sooner. Of course, I'm expecting too much out of the Union."

Had it been the Go-Rock Squad grunts, the Go-Rock Quads, or any other citizen, Solana would have retaliated to that comment. But something about this man made her go against it. "I'm sorry," she apologized again. "I'll lead you out of here as quickly as I can."

Her client examined her. "You're nothing but a child!" he exclaimed. "The Union sent a child to get me! Classic, I say, just classic!" This time Solana had nothing to say. She couldn't apologize for being a child. But then she noticed he smiled warmly. "Ah, but that's not your fault, dear," he told her. "I'm the one who lost his bearings and called for help. My name is Gordor. You said yours was Solana?" She nodded. "Alright then, Solana, I trust you will guide me out of this forest."

"Of course, sir," she said politely. She couldn't believe how quickly his personality changed. She checked her Styler's map. They were pretty far from the bridge, but she was glad she now knew the way. "I'm sorry," she apologized, hoping he wouldn't get angry again. "Even Rangers get lost in this place, but I do have the way out."

Gordor smiled at her again. "As long as we can get out of here," he told her.

"Yes," she said. "Please, follow me." She began to led him through the forest, checking her Styler every once in a while to make sure they were going the right way. They eventually came upon a fallen tree, blocking their path. If Solana had been by herself, she would have jumped over the tree and kept moving. But Gordor was an old man; who knew if he would have been able to climb it? She turned to him and bowed. "I'm sorry, it looks like we'll have to find a Fire type to clear this."

"Then let's find one, and quick," he said, sounding impatient.

"O-of course, sir," Solana replied quickly. They backtracked and found a Quilava very close by. She hated using her Styler to capture things with her injured shoulder, but she had no other choice but to capture it. So as quick as she could she captured the Quilava, which ran to her side and waited orders.

Gordor raised an eyebrow. "Impressive," he said. "I've seen quite a few Rangers in my day, but that was good." Then he noticed Solana cupping her shoulder and wincing in pain. "What's wrong?"

Solana looked at him. "I injured my shoulder yesterday," she explained. "It's better, but it still hurts a bit." She chuckled. "Don't worry about me, sir. Let's keep moving."

"If you say so, dear," the old man replied. "But why would your Leader send you out with an injured shoulder?"

"We didn't know about fallen trees," she told him. She slowly rotated her shoulder. "Besides, I would've complained if I was forced to stay inside all day. I've experienced worse things than this." She and Gordor walked back to the tree, and Solana ordered Quilava to use Flamethrower. In no time the tree was burned to cinders, and Quilava walked off to do its own thing. Then they noticed a Murkrow sitting on the other side. It blinked at them, and then began to cry, almost sounding like a laugh.

Gordor, for some reason, became very angry with it. "Is it mocking me for losing my bearings?" he asked angrily.

"I sure it's not, sir," Solana told him, hoping to calm him down. "It's probably laughing at me."

But Gordor wouldn't listen to her. Especially when the Murkrow laughed again. "How dare you heckle me!" he shouted. When the Murkrow wouldn't stop, he erupted. "I won't take your insolence! You idiot, meaningless, crass, useless piece of shit!" The Murkrow became frightened and ran off. The old man was breathing hard, but then he composed himself. "It appears crass was the word that got to that bird," he said calmly. "Now, let us get out of this place."

Solana was at a loss for words, and now extremely frightened as well. "Y-yes, s-sir," she stuttered. _Note to self: do NOT laugh at this guy_, Solana thought. She continued to lead the old man out of the forest. They reached a clearing where a field of flowers lay and the trees finally let some sun through. _Now this is relaxing_, the Ranger thought. But if she really wanted to marvel, she was afraid Gordor would explode for wasting his time. _Maybe another day. _After going down some paths that all looked the same, they came to another clearing that was completely enveloped in a dark haze. And near the tree in the center, they saw the Murkrow once again.

"Mur-krow!" it cried. But this time it wasn't laughing; it sounded angry. It circled around the tree and cried once again, then glared at the party.

"I don't think it liked being called crass," Gordor muttered. "And where did this dark haze come from?"

"It must be using Haze or Smokescreen," Solana said. "If I capture it, this haze might lift, and then we can get out of here."

Gordor looked at her. "But what about-"

"My shoulder is fine," the Ranger assured. "I can handle one Murkrow." But as soon as she said that, Murkrow cried once more, and four Spinarak jumped out of the tree. "But five might be a bit much," Solana moaned. "Plusle, I'm going to need you help."

"Plusle!" she cried and hopped off her partner's shoulder.

"Do you have Thundershock?" Solana asked. Plusle nodded. "Then I want you to use that, okay?" So Plusle unleashed a bolt that was a bit stronger than Thunder Wave. All of the Pokémon became paralyzed, and quickly Solana captured them. Her shoulder let out a shock of pain, but Solana ignored it as the haze cleared and the five Pokémon retreated into the thick part of the forest.

Gordor smiled. "Most impressive," he complimented. "And through your pain as well. You're a very strong girl."

Solana smiled back and continued to walk on. "It's only because I was trained by a Fighting type Gym Leader," she told him.

"Ah," he said. "Trained in what?"

"Karate," she explained. "I made my way up to a 4th degree black belt, but only after a few broken bones and a couple hundred bruises."

The old man laughed. "With that strength you must be able to pick up anything or anyone!"

"No, but almost," she replied. She liked it when the old man wasn't demanding or yelling. It made her feel better. The two finally made their way through the bushes, and Solana noticed they were back at the small shrine. And that someone else was there.

The Go-Rock Squad grunt and Solana looked at each other for a few brief seconds. Nervous, the grunt ran off. Gordor watched him go. "Hmm…I do believe that was this Go-Rock Squad I've been hearing about," he stated.

Solana nodded. "A bunch of crooks," she mumbled. "I'm glad I got you out safe, sir, but my first day on the job, they stole something from the Union's professor, and I was his escort."

Gordor looked back at her. "Really…" he muttered.

Solana nodded, then shook her head. "I'm sorry," she said with a smile. "I don't mean to be such a downer. I've gotten better since then, so they better watch out."

The old man smiled, then looked down the path that led to the less confusing part of Lyra Forest. "Well, I know where I am now. I'm good from here." He looked back once more. "I did enjoy our brief time together, Solana." Then he chuckled, and then bursted into laughter. He walked off, bumping into an oncoming Murph. The old man blinked, laughed once more, and continued on his way.

Murph watched him. "That's the guy who requested the mission, right?" he asked Solana.

Solana smiled nervously. "He's an interesting fellow," she told her coworker.

"He does have some pipes," Murph noted. "Did you hear him laugh? Pretty big laugh. Anyway, I just finished a mission, too."

Solana was taken aback. Murph was the only Ranger who was never assigned missions because he was such a klutz. Not that Murph really minded, since he liked just helping cheer people up or helping around the Base. "What mission?" Solana asked.

Murph smiled big. "I went with Aria through caves and other places to help find the trail of the Go-Rock Squad! And with how moody Aria can be sometimes, I had to be on my toes, you know?"

"I've been there," Solana said.

The redhead laughed. "Anyway, I bet you're tired. Come on, let's tell Spenser about your successful mission." So it was back to the Base for the Rangers.


End file.
